Head above water
by RoseCallisto
Summary: Shinobi are tools.Sakura was one such tool, used to fight in the war.She survived.The others broke.She has long since emptied herself of emotions, because shinobi must never show them.But for a certain blond-haired artist,she may have to make an exception
1. Prologue

_Hello and welcome to my new DeiSaku fic "Head above water"._

_P.S. I apologize for any errors, though, I tried to find them all.^^_

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

The huge boulder shielding the secret cave came crushing down. _Must be someone with explosives out there_, Deidara guessed. Though, he didn't hear any explosion. That got him a bit intrigued, but then again, it could be some big dude with monstrous strength. Too bad for Sasori no Danna, yeah, because Deidara already called dibs on the Copy Nin – they just knew that Suna and Konoha would send the Jichuuriki and his team to rescue their poor, little Kazekage. He had a personal grudge against the Sharingan and had vowed to himself that he, Deidara, the mad bomber (according to Hidan, the retarded priest) won't let anyone who possessed the goddamned bloody eyes walk idly around the world. At least a part of the person he'd blow away. Like the Kazekage crushed his arm, yeah. Kakashi's gonna have to say good-bye to his arm too. Or a leg. Or that eye.

He prepared himself to face the big dude who had crushed the boulder like an apple and glanced curiously at his partner. Sasori was hiding in that hideous puppet and what's the worst part of it – he actually called that art. Well, since when you call something _this _ugly art? Everlasting even so. Deidara snorted amused. He should humor himself for a while, he decided and sat down on the dead body._ Sorry, buddy_, he apologized to the unmoving redhead, _bad guys gotta keep their image for the good guys to tremble from fear, yeah._

When the dust cleared, Deidara had to look twice and stop his jaw from hitting the floor. Instead of a big, _manly _dude with muscles hard like rock and clothes that were too small for him, there was a girl, a little (the height, not age, although, she was pretty young), pink haired girl cleaning herself off from dust. It can't be possible that she was the one who crushed that thing all by herself, it was probably a decoy or a genjutsu. The latter he immediately scratched from the list of possibilities, because his left eye would have caught something like that. But then he remembered. What a fool, that must be the apprentice of the Hokage! And damn his memory, he couldn't remember her name. He would have slapped himself if it wouldn't for the amusing thought that his Danna had no idea who this girl was and he almost felt sorry for him. If the girl had even the half strength the Hokage had, then he wished it was that big dude instead of the girl that Sasori was about to face. No one really had any idea about Deidara's connections outside the Akatsuki and he had no desire to reveal it to anyone, but for once he was glad that he knew something more than the always so smart Sasori. For he knew for sure that the red haired 'artist' didn't know a thing about the girl. He may have full knowledge about the Kyuubi or Copy nin, but not her. Though, he heard an amused sound coming from his partner when he too saw who had crushed their solid shield.

But enough about the girl. The rest of the 'team' stared at them with wide eyes. Heh, must be one hell of a sight – the enemy sitting on the one they were supposed to rescue. So which one was actually the Kyuubi? The girl or the blonde guy who was gaping at him? Deidara smirked at them.

"You son of a bitch!" the blond guy crouched a bit forward and spat those words venomously at him. "Where the hell do you thing you're sitting?" _The Kazekage, of course_, Deidara amused himself.

"Humph, there's no mistaking it, 'mm," he said, "He's the Jinchuuriki. The first thing he'll do is scream and charge at you. Itachi actually described him quite accurately, 'mm." That still didn't change the fact that the Uchiha was a bastard. He glanced at Sasori and was quite surprised to find him staring at the old lady. Could it be that he knew her? She didn't have the Leaf hitai-ate, maybe she was from Suna. And Sasori was from Suna. That sort of did make some sense.

Then the Jinchuuriki started to yell at Gaara, the Kazekage apparently. Idiot, couldn't he see that he was dead? It was a pain, but the tailed beasts couldn't be extracted without having some sacrifices to be made. Thank Kami, the Copy Nin had some brains to make the idiot shut up, otherwise he'd have to doubt the rumors that were saying that he was some sort of a genius.

"That's right. You get it, don't you?" Deidara tried once more to provoke the shinobi in front of him. "He's been dead for a while, 'mm," and he slapped the Kazekage's face. That'll do it, hopefully. He was itching to revenge his lost arm and have a good fight.

That did the trick, Naruto, he remembered the Copy Nin call the blond boy by that name, let the anger take over him. They could feel the demon's chakra surround them.

"Huh?" Sasori was amused.

"He's definitely the Jinchuuriki, Danna, 'mm," Deidara agreed with a satisfied smile. Oh, how awesome it would be to snatch the prey out of Itachi's claws.

He noticed the pink haired girl look warily at her fussing teammate. She was actually quite cute. Not like the 'one-night-beauties' he had every now and then, but definitely appealing to his eye. He could see her mind trying to analyze the situation, for a shinobi she had too revealing eyes. They betrayed almost every thought that crossed her mind. However, he could feel that she didn't lack the brains, despite that she hadn't said a word.

The smile from his face vanished as he too started to estimate the enemy. The Copy Nin, the Jinchuuriki, the Hokage's apprentice and an old lady he knew nothing about. That might be crucial, if he had to deal with her, not knowing what skills she had.

"Give him back!" Naruto hissed at them. Deidara frowned. "Give back Gaara, you bastards!" He sure was a loud one. And then he started to run towards them, but the Copy Nin stepped in his way. Man, did they really had no one else to send after them? They could take out this idiot without much restraining themselves.

The smirk reappeared on his face as Deidara could hear the Kyuubi container grit his teeth. Then all of a sudden, Sasori glanced at him. "Mm? What's wrong, Sasori no Danna?"

"I'll take him," he answered.

"Aa?"

"It seems that this Jinchuuriki wants to take him back."

Deidara looked form Naruto to the Kazekage. "'mm. Looks like it," he agreed. But this whole situation amused him to no end and he couldn't help the grin dreading to take over his face. And that girl, was she still analyzing them or had she already formed plan? "Danna," he started.

"Mm?" the puppeteer looked at him.

"You might get pissed at me for saying this, but...I'm going to fight the Jinchuuriki, 'mm," Oh, he could already picture the fight. While he didn't particularly like to kill people but the promise of a good fight, made his heart beat faster and anticipation took over him.

Sasori huffed. "Each of us gets our own," he protested, "don't get cocky, Deidara."

"With art," Deidara answered without looking at him, "You must constantly seek greater and greater stimulation," then he turned to his partner and continued more confident about himself, "or your ability to appreciate it will dull, Danna. I've heard rumors that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is pretty powerful, 'mm. He'll be perfect for my art."

"What? You call those explosions 'art'? Art is something that endures the test of time beautifully and gracefully. True art is eternal beauty." _And here we go again with the 'art is everlasting' bullshit_, Deidara groaned inwardly. He respected him as a fellow artist, but Sasori was a complete idiot when it came to the idea of Art. Puppets. Who the hell calls puppets as art?

Though, he got the reaction from the Jinchuuriki he'd expected from this little chit chat with Sasori. The seemingly nonsense arguing about art pissed him more off and he threw a giant shuriken at them which Sasori dodged with no problems.

"Hmph," Deidara stood up slowly and prepared a bit of clay in his remaining hand. "To me, the essence of art is...explosions!" He exclaimed as he threw the little bird in air to expand it bigger a second later. He caught the surprised facial expression of the girl and grinned inwardly. Let's face the fact, she was more stunned from _his _art, than Danna's. Though, why exactly it should matter, he had no idea. "It's completely different from your silly puppet shows, Danna." And there he goes again with the nasty, poisoned tail of his. Like he would ever scratch him with that thing. Deidara skillfully jumped up in the air and landed on the bird that had already the limp body of the Kazekage in it's mouth. To add more fuel to their enraged 'guests', he let the bird slowly chew Gaara deeper in the mouth. "Ja ne, Danna!" One last provocative look at the Jinchuuriki to make sure he'll follow him.

As he flew over them, he caught the girls eyes. She looked at him in surprise and anger that lightened her eyes with a fire. He liked that look, made girls, women especially, more attractive to him. Who knows, different time, different place and different situation, maybe they'd have more fun together. But right now he had a Jinchuuriki to deal with.

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><p>Well, fuck.<p>

Maybe the idea to fight the Kyuubi _and _the Copy Nin at the same time wasn't that good. Now he was completely armless. Yes, Hatake Kakashi had used the goddamned Mangekyou Sharingann to send his right arm to kami know's where. Sasori no Danna will skin him alive if he ever sees him in such state and bitch about how he should always come up with a strategy, not act first and think later. But that's just too boring. How can you enjoy the fight if you already know what the enemy is going to do. It's just like with art, you have to seek for greater challenges, to feel the thrill of the unexpected, otherwise you won't appreciate it anymore. You'll kill only because you're ordered, not because it just so happened, because you had to defend yourself.

Deidara sighed and sat down by a tree. And what's with those two freaks in green spandex? Konoha shinobi were far more fucked up than he had heard. Alright, he'd admit, that chick with those weapons was kinda impressive, how she was throwing them so skillfully. He almost felt jealous. And that Byakuugan kid was good too, but, heh, he was alone against them four. Without arms and his art. Badass. Deidara smirked. If it wouldn't be for that suicidal clone he managed to create earlier, he'd be dead.

And where the hell was Danna? It was just one girl and an old lady, why was it taking him so long? Wasn't he the 'almighty artist'? Freaking Sasori, he better not die, otherwise he'll be stuck with that moron Tobi. He should be he-

His body tensed. There was someone behind the tree he was sitting at. And it wasn't Sasori.

"Come out. I already know you're there, yeah," he said. It's not like he could do anything better. There was no way he could escape, so he may as well stare the death in the eyes.

The death, however, was a cute one. He had to blink several times to make sure it _was _her who he was seeing. For a moment Deidara was so surprised that he didn't notice a sharp kunai pressed against his throat and that there was already a small gash with little blood seeping out. Regaining himself again, he smirked. "If you're here, then that must mean..."

"Sasori's dead, if that's what you're thinking," she answered bravely. Deidara chuckled; in the end art was, indeed, fleeting just as one's life was. He was right.

"Well," he said back, "then you must be one hell of a strong kunoichi, to have defeated Sasori no Danna and survived yourself." The girl frowned then rolled her eyes.

"I had help."

"Ah, right. That old lady, 'mm. Who was she anyway?" That's right, keep talking, maybe she'll eventually drop her guard and then somehow, miracously, Zetsu or someone else will come to his aid. Not that he expected or wanted anyone to rescue him. He wasn't some poor damsel in distress, after all.

"His grandmother," she answered evenly, not taking eyes of him, watching every movement and emotion crossing his face.

"Really?" Deidara's eyes widened a fraction when she nodded in response. "That's messed up, yeah. And you, I'm surprised you're still breathing...with all the poisons that bastard had hidden in him."

She didn't answer, instead her grip on the kunai tightened making him harder to breathe. Heh, at least he could observe her better from how close she was. Like he noted before, she was cute, few years younger than himself, so she must be in her middle teens, 15 or 16, a perfect age for a shinobi, yet only a kid in the civilian world. Her hair seemed to have different layers of pink – from light pink to almost white from being too often outdoors, in the sun, and then darker pink to soft red on the back of her neck, giving her a very colorful look. He was 100 percent sure, that her hair was one of a kind. And her eyes, green, but nothing special about the color, then again, what made her eyes so memorable, was the fire burning in them. He had heard something about the Will of Fire the Konoha shinobi were having, could it mean this? He could almost touch the determination in them. Her skin was typical for redheads - pale – though, she didn't have freckles, but it would only ruin her unique looks. She was in the middle of the transformation from a girl to a woman, so there were childlike things, like a bit chubby cheeks, very little curves, but also something from a young woman in her features, like the catlike grace that seeped through her rough appearance as a kunoichi with monstrous strength. She'll be a strong and attractive one in the future, he was sure.

She narrowed her eyes as he continued to observe her, she was feeling uncomfortable. Deidara smirked. "What's your name?" That question caught her off guard and she glanced at him suspiciously.

"Why?" She asked. "Why do you need to know if you're about to die?"

He laughed. "Well, aren't you full of yourself, yeah. Just curious. Gotta report to the Leader, he's always interested in those who were capable to eliminate one of us, ',mm." That didn't convince her, he noted. "Besides," he continued, "with killing Sasori no Danna, you've marched straight into the Bingo books, so we need a name to put under your picture and description. Congratulations, you're officially now a target to bounty hunters."

She paled visibly and then cursed silently. "Thanks for the information," she hissed. Bipolar, much? "_Deidara._"

Deidara narrowed his eyes playfully. "Not fair, yeah. You know my name. I'd shake hands with you, if that's what you want, but as you can see, I've currently run out of them." Her eyes darted to where his arms were supposed to be and smirked darkly.

"Well, sucks for you," she sneered, "you can't even defend yourself. But how did you make the exploding clone then?"

"Ah, you saw it then? And it didn't convince you that it was the real one that exploded?"

"I'm good at picking up chakras. Though luck today, ne Deidara?"

"Indeed, _Sakura_," finally he remembered her name. Should have known that for a pink haired girl she had a pretty common name. Her parents must be civilians then, they always liked to name their kids based on physical characteristics. And her expression was worth all the trouble – puzzlement, shock, anger – her eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth when she tried to calmly ask:

"Did you know my name from the beginning?"

If Deidara had even one of his arms, he'd attempt to scratch the back of his head, but since he was currently armless, he decided for a grin when he answered: "Nope. I just remembered. You're quite well known actually. The Hokage's apprentice, the same Hokage's who once said that she'll never take another apprentice. You must be special then." He noticed something green moving behind Sakura's back and relaxed a bit. His prayers have been heard, Zetsu's coming to his aid, but he'd have to distract Sakura a little longer. She can't see or sense Zetsu, otherwise, he'll have to say farewell to his head too. And what to do best if you want to distract a young girl...Deidara sneered and leaned a little in her direction, ignoring the sudden pain that signaled that the kunai has been pushed further. _"Sakura_,_" _He tested her name on his tongue quietly. Thankfuly, the distance between them wasn't large.

Sakura tensed and froze, just as he had anticipated. She didn't seem as the type who'd get much male attention, she may not blush but he could see it in her eyes. She was curious yet afraid of what his next move would be.

It was enough distraction for Zetsu to move himself closer to Deidara and when the bomber felt that he was seconds away from being pulled underground along with Zetsu, he leaned closer one more time like attempting to kiss her. "I'll remember you, yeah," he put on his most charming grin when the half of Zetsu popped out of the ground, making Sakura jump from surprise, and grabbed Deidara, a second later they were gone.

_Well, that was interesting,_Deidara smirked at the accidental outcome of his fight as he was transported to the Akatsuki base.

Sakura stared at the ground where just moments ago she saw a man emerge from ground and take Deidara with him. It was so unbelievable that she started to think that maybe she's gotten hit by some other Sasori's poison and was now seeing hallucinations. But then again, it was Akatsuki. They had a living puppet and a walking shark, so why wouldn't they have something between a plant and a human?

And what about Deidara's last stunt? It was clear to her now that he was doing his best to distract her so that his comrade could come to his aid, but she couldn't deny the fact that for a split second she actually hoped that he'd kiss her.

She gasped a bit. What was wrong with her? Did she really hoped that an enemy would kiss her? Sakura slapped her forehead. Maybe that antidote had some side effects. Who knows what the mix of a bunch of different herbs could do to you, other than heal from an unique and extremely strong poison.

Then she remembered that back in the cave when Naruto was throwing accusations and profanities at both Akatsuki, she had seen the blond one glance at her curiously now and then. At that moment she didn't pay any attention to it, because she was busy with analyzing the situation. Then she slapped her forehead again. He had planned this from the very beginning. He had predicted that something like this could happen and therefore made up a back up plan.

Sakura groaned loudly. Stupid, stupid girl! Grow up for once! And she was so confident about herself when she tracked Deidara down and confronted him...ugh, she'll have to get drunk after they get back to Konoha to forget about her own foolishness.

She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see her teammates and Team Gai approach her.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted as soon as he spotted her. "Did you get him?"

She sighed. "No, I was too late. There was already another one Akatsuki to take him away."

"Really?" Kakashi asked as he too neared her. "What did he look like? Did you manage to see any of his abilities?"

"Well," Sakura began, thinking how to better describe the mysterious man, "he was sort of like half plant, half human-" Naruto frowned and before he could interrupt her, she continued, "-he had this huge fly trap around his head and his skin was in two colors. Like, one side was black, the other white. And it appears he can move and transport others through underground. That's how he took Deidara with him."

It was silent around her and she started to really believe the 'side effects' theory. Then Kakashi coughed and slowly said: "Alright, that's an interesting and valuable observation you have. Do you have some chakra left?" she nodded. "Good. We should head back to Gaara."

Gaara, Sakura thought, he was dead most likely. She'll have to do her best if she intented to save him. If there was anything left of him for her to save, that is.

As they were going, Sakura's thoughts drifted back to a certain blond criminal. What did he mean by 'I'll remember you'? Does that mean that he'll come after her to revenge his dead partner or to finish what he started? She was very well aware that by being on the same team as their desired Bijuu, she was an easy target for kidnaps and blackmails to lure Naruto out. So, that confusing promise could also mean that she should be more careful from now on and watch her surroundings better.

That damned Akatsuki. Wasn't it enough that they were the fearest organization in the world by gathering ten ridiculously strong and insane criminals together? They could already easly take out the weakest countries and from that point they'd become only stronger. See? It wasn't that difficult if even she could come up with that. Wait. That wasn't anything better than what they were already doing.

Sakura groaned in her head. Why couldn't there be peace in the world. Sure, she'd lose her job, but at least innocent people wouldn't die. Maybe even Sasuke would be still with them.

She shook her head. No time to think about him. She had to concentrate on more pressing matters now – how to heal Gaara. If she's even able to heal him, he looked pretty much dead few hours earlier, they were probably too late.

She sighed. And on top of that, she has now beware of that blond Akatsuki. What if he tracks her down when she's on a freaking solo medical mission? He could fly, goddamnit!

Damn him, damn the Akatsuki, damn the Bijuu, damn everything that's evil in this world! All she has now left to hope for is that they won't take her best friend away from her and that there wouldn't be a war. The shinobi world wasn't ready for another war so soon. Sakura sighed. The life of a shinobi was heard, but she wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

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><p><em>Chapter 1 preview:<em>

_"I know you," she said warily and a smirk appeared of the stranger's face. "I just can't remember how. But we've met before, yes?"_

_"Akatsuki," she didn't hide her irritation, "you're the one who killed Gaara. Deidara."_

_"Congratulations on your recovery from memory loss," he emptied the glass and refilled it. "Took you long enough, 'mm."_

_"What do you want?" She growled._

_He looked at her and snorted. "What does it look like? Get drunk, obviously, and, unfortunately for you, yours was the only familiar face in this fine establishment."_

_"What are you grinning about?"_

_"I told you I'll remember you."_

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><p><em>So, here goes the prologue of my new story. <em>

_What do you think? Does it have any potential? ^^_

_The next chapter should be up within the next two weeks. I already have it written, but I still need some things to change._

_Anyway, please review ^^_

_See y'all in the next chapter,_

_~RoseCallisto_


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Sakura sat at a table that was hidden in the shadows of the shady, yet closest bar to her current residence in a shitty port town in Land of Hot Water, drowning the contents of her third bottle of whatever liquor it was. She couldn't help the irony of how well she blended in with the rest of the visitors of this establishment - dark, scary looking people who looked for some remedy, something to make them forget their turmoil. Over the last seven or eight years she'd seen people like them, like herself, too much. Every step she took on her path, she saw the same faces. Faces of suppressed anger, hate, sadness, loss and desperation. The sacrifices they had all made. And for what? One person's greed threw the whole shinobi world into chaos, destroying the home they once knew, taking away the loved ones and leaving scars that would take time to heal, if ever.

She'd gone to war fully prepared for what it might do to her, but she never imagined this. Her home destroyed, burnt to ground; her loved ones - dead. Everyone. Her family, friends, teachers, neighbors. Her team. How she managed to be the only one from Team Kakashi to end up alive was beyond her understanding. One by one they had died in her arms, she watched the light fade in their eyes until she couldn't take it anymore. Naruto, Kakashi, Sai, Tsunade, Yamato, Hinata...the only ones of their generation to survive were her, Shikamaru, Ino, Neji and TenTen. There were a few more shinobi and a bunch of civilians. There was hardly a village left, all burnt down to ashes. It would take years, if not decades, until Konoha could regain its previous strength and status in the world.

She had left. Shikamaru and Neji promised to revive Konoha, to lead the once so powerful village to its rebirth. It would never be the same, they knew, but the will of Fire burned strongly in them. What TenTen and Ino's decisions in the end were, Sakura didn't know. She left before they could make her stay. The idea of seeing those ruins and remembering the faces that once were there on those streets was one of the many reasons why she needed to get out. To get out and away from her pain.

Four years had passed since she had last seen Konoha, or what was left of it. She's been traveling around, doing questionable jobs to stay alive. Although there was no real reason to live anymore, taking away her own life would be a sign of cowardice. And she was no coward. She survived because of those who had died. They wanted her to live, to try to find happiness again. But from what she had seen, there was no happiness in the world anymore. Shinobi were treated as something like criminals who were more than glad to accept any job – be it theft or assassinations. Everyone needed to survive. It was like with wild animals – eat or be eaten; kill or be killed.

And that was what she'd been doing the last four years – taking jobs that no one else wanted, earning money that was mostly covered in blood of her targets, sealing it in her scroll, leaving only enough for her to not die from famine and buy herself a room at some inn and then do it again. Being a ninja had its advantages. Jobs were better paid and no one asked unnecessary questions. Sakura had become quite famous during the war and often it was the job that found her, not vice versa. High class and top secret assassinations were now her specialty as the word of her ability to kill ruthlessly with only lifting one finger spread all over the nations. She had to thank the war for helping her to expand her abilities. But that was the only somewhat positive outcome of the hell she had experienced for three long and painful years.

Sakura sighed. She didn't like this life, the constant looking over her shoulder as bounty hunters were hunting down everyone who had ever been a ninja. It was sheer luck that they mostly were civilians that were no match to her and she often left them in a state that clearly said to anyone who even thought of hunting after her: "Don't fuck with me."

Her plan was to earn enough money to live the rest of her days somewhere where no one cared who she had been. Maybe open her own clinic and heal people. A peaceful life was all she wanted.

She poured more of the liquor in the glass and frowned when it appeared that the bottle was empty. Maybe she should stop for tonight. Getting drunk never solved her problems, it only made her forget them for few hours and then deal with the hangover afterwards. She was about to stand up when a full bottle of sake was put in front of her eyes. She blinked. Sakura didn't remember ordering it. Her eyes traveled up from the bottle, over those slender fingers, the larger hand, the rest of the arm until they landed on a face. It looked familiar. At least once in her life she had seen it, of that Sakura was sure. A handsome face of a man a bit older than herself. The hair painfully reminded her of Ino and something squinted in her memory. "I know you," she said warily and a smirk appeared of the stranger's face. "I just can't remember how. But we've met before, yes?"

He chuckled and sat across from her. "Am I really that forgettable, Sakura? That's kinda painful to hear, since I remember you, yeah." He, who obviously knew who she was, said bemused. Sakura narrowed her eyes. He could be anyone. An enemy, maybe an old acquaintance, a bounty hunter or maybe one of the many who had challenged her in the previous bars. She was quite notorious for her winnings at drinking contests and arm wrestling. She had definitely heard that accent before.

She arched a brow. Sakura couldn't remember who he was and that was final. Blame it on the alcohol, if you want, but she just couldn't find him in her memory. With one last look she opened the bottle he had so unceremoniously put in front of her and filled her glass, then offered it to her mysterious stranger. When he reached for the bottle, that smirk still on his lips, she saw a glimpse of his palms and then it all dawned on her. Of course she knew him. "Akatsuki," she didn't hide her irritation, "you're the one who killed Gaara. Deidara."

"Congratulations on your recovery from memory loss," he emptied the glass and refilled it. "Took you long enough, 'mm."

"What do you want?" She growled.

He looked at her and snorted. "What does it look like? Get drunk, obviously, and, unfortunately for you, yours was the only familiar face in this fine establishment."

"Lucky me," she mumbled in her glass.

"Lucky you," Deidara smirked back. "So, what's a woman like you doing here?"

"A woman like me?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's not common to find a pretty woman drinking _alone _in a rundown place. So,what are you doing here? Looking for a job?"

Sakura frowned a bit at that 'pretty woman' comment but chose to answer his question. It's not like she has anything better to do. "Yeah. But this place is a shit. I've been here for few weeks already, but there's nothing to do, except for getting rid of some thugs for cheap money."

Deidara nodded knowingly. "Then there's no point in staying here any longer for me. You said you've been here for few weeks?"

She gulped down the sake. "Hn. I've been waiting for someone to take me to Lightning. I may have a job there. Until now, there haven't been any ships going that way, but I heard that there might be one this Saturday...which is tomorrow." Sakura cursed herself. Since when did she accept drinks from someone who was an Akatsuki and talked to them so freely about her plans? Dear God, she just told him her next destination, might as well offer him to slice her throat kindly. Really shouldn't have come to this bar tonight.

"Lightning, huh?" Deidara smirked again. "I was just on my way there. Just stopping here for a possible side job."

Sakura nodded, then she remembered something from seven years ago. "I heard Sasuke killed you."

He frowned and set his glass a bit angrily back on the table. "That little shit. I'm glad he's dead."

Sakura arched a pink eye brow; Deidara continued. "I thought I was going to die. It was supposed to be my masterpiece, the ultimate jutsu. I planned to take him with me to the afterlife, but he, apparently, somehow managed to escape. The blast was so great that it created some space wrap...thingy...or whatever it was and I got sucked in it. The next thing I knew, I was very much alive, pissed, with zero chakra and clay on the other side of the world. But then again, it was the best way to remain dead to the rest of the world." He refilled the glass again and glanced at Sakura, who processed the information in her brain. "I heard that Yakushi Kabuto had revived the dead Akatsuki, including me for the war. Did you see that?"

Sakura's eyes widened. "Well, yeah. I mean, I didn't see you in particular, I may have seen Itachi. But..." He could practically see how the gears were turning in her head as she tried to put the pieces together. "If you're alive, then how? The Kage of Iwa said he fought you. That you looked more evil than before."

That amused Deidara. More evil than before? That old prick. "I have no idea. Maybe that Yakushi was so fucked up that he couldn't see the difference between a real dead person and some alternate version of them. Like the evil twin," he smirked. This idea again amused Sakura.

"That's not quite possible. Maybe in your case, but Itachi wasn't evil. He helped Naruto when he broke out from the jutsu... and what about the rest of the Akatsuki? Are they dead? I know that Itachi is dead, Sasuke killed him, but the others?"

"Did you see Itachi's corpse?" He asked pointedly and when Sakura looked at him, confused and her lips parted a bit in shock, he continued. "Sasuke couldn't kill him even if Itachi let him. He's somewhere, I don't know, probably with Kisame fishing and scaring innocent people to death in a place where nobody can find them. That goes to the rest of them. Akatsuki as an organization wasn't really important to us, it was just an organization that made us to pose as the bullies everyone's afraid of and if we were given the chance to get out, then we took it. Mostly by faking our deaths."

"Please tell me Sasori's not alive somewhere," she gulped almost invisibly.

Deidara chuckled. "Afraid he'd come for revenge? Relax. He's dead. Just like Kakuzu, Leader and Konan. Hidan got out from the hole with the help of Zetsu and about Itachi and Kisame I already told you."

Anger started to rise into Sakura and she half growled, half said: "So, you just sat in some hole, without giving a damn about the rest of the world until the war was over?"

He again smirked. Sakura found that a little too annoying, he was smirking way too much. Despite that her inner self found that smirk exceptionally appealing. "Yep, pretty much," he answered. "How was it? The war, I mean."

"Gruesome," she said without thinking and frowned when she saw that Deidara drank the last drops of sake that was in the bottle.

"Figured as much," then his smirk widened into a grin.

"What are you grinning about?"

"I told you I'll remember you."

She snorted and looked at him. "When you said that back then, I thought you're gonna hunt me down and kill me for killing your partner."

"Why would I?" Confusion crossed her eyes but she didn't question him, so he continued as he felt talkative tonight. "Well, he was my partner, but we're criminals, outcasts to the rest of the world. Everyone had their own reasons for being there rather than in the safety behind brick walls in a secure village. Sasori was no different. He didn't care much about me and the feeling was mutual. I respected him as a fellow artist, but that was all. There was nothing human left in him that even Pein could revive, I have no idea how he was actually functioning and I'm sure I don't want to know that. No hard feelings, though, it led to my new partner who in the end appeared to be the world's most wanted bad guy," Deidara laughed bitterly.

"Tobi was your partner?" Sakura asked, slightly shocked.

He nodded. Yeah, only then he was different – a very annoying idiot who would chase after butterflies and so oblivious of his idiocy that'd make even Buddha angry. Who knew that he secretly plotted to take over the world, yeah."

"That's somehow hard to imagine, but I do remember meeting him the day we found out that Sasuke had... defeated Itachi. We were all quite annoyed that we couldn't land a hit on him," Sakura smirked. It felt strange to talk to Deidara so freely, without the intent to kill him or fear to be killed in return. Things had changed and now she was a missing nin as much as he was, only he had more experience on how to deal with things. He appeared to be easily amused and very passionate from what little she had caught of their conversation.

As if reading her thoughts, Deidara said: "I bet back then you didn't even imagine talking to me like this, 'mm."

"Indeed," she agreed. "It feels strange to don't have the urge to throw a punch in your face and break your bones."

"Glad to know that, yeah," he motioned for the bartender to bring them another bottle.

"Oh, I think I have enough tonight," Sakura protested. "I may be able to deal with the aftereffects quickly, I still don't like the headache in the morning."

Only then Deidara noticed the empty bottles on the far end of the table, he whistled in amusement. "You sure know how to hold your alcohol."

Again Sakura smirked. A little praise was never unwelcome. "Well, I am the world's best medic now, since my shishou has been dead for few years." If she felt bitter about the death of her mentor, then Sakura hid it well behind a teasing tone of her voice and smirking facial features. Deidara noticed that despite what she had probably gone through, that fire burning in her eyes from seven years ago was still there. It relieved him. He didn't like it when people lost their passion and will to live.

"Aren't you full of yourself," he said.

"I was just stating the obvious," she shrugged and stood up, not a bit shaky on her feet. "Alright, Deidara. It was somewhat nice to talk to you, but I'm afraid I'm gonna get some sleep. I have a ship to catch tomorrow."

Deidara stood up with her and asked: "You're gonna get by yourself? You drank quite a lot, I can walk you back," he offered with a grin on his face.

Sakura looked at him and then snorted. "I'm a big girl and, besides, I'm staying at the inn across the street. Thank you, but I'll manage on my own."

"Well, I did offer, yeah."

"I know. Good-bye, Deidara."

"See ya later, Sakura."

Sakura smirked at him and grabbed her cloak from the back of the chair she just sat moments ago. Winter was approaching and from what she remembered, in Lightning it was already cold, if not freezing. If there weren't any ships tomorrow, then she would have to go by foot. And that wasn't something she looked forward to. She didn't like the cold and if it was snowing, then it would be hard to see the path and the snow muted all sounds. It always seemed too silent when there was snow.

The cold air sobered her head and Sakura looked up the stars. How long now till she would have her peace too?

* * *

><p>Deidara watched her leave. Seven years he had wondered if he'd get the chance to see her again. He may not have participated in the war, but the word about the young medic, apprentice of the Hokage, spread around the world quite fast. Rumor has it that Haruno Sakura had more advanced more than the mentor herself and that she had inherited the Sannin's characteristics too. He could see the spite and temper burning in her eyes even now and she was more confident than the little girl he had in memory. Deidara liked her, their little chat minutes ago proved that she was easy to talk to and had good humor – something people didn't have often nowadays.<p>

It wasn't a coincidence that they had run into each other – he had followed her movements for few months already. Not for himself, though, he was more than glad to meet her, but Itachi had a plan. A quite big one. In order for it to be successful, Deidara was ordered to recruit Haruno Sakura. No, they weren't trying to restore the Akatsuki. As a matter of fact, it was a peaceful plan. Though Deidara still couldn't stand Itachi one bit, he had nowhere else to go. He was in his mid twenties and tired of running. The need for something in his life that he could take for granted had become stronger within the last years. And maybe he had the feeling that with the failure of his 'ultimate jutsu' he was given a second chance to live.

The bartender finally returned with the bottle he had ordered. Deidara sighed. Drinking alone in a bar never was much fun, so he paid for the bottle and exited the bar. It was refreshingly cold outside and he looked around. Across the street, she had said. Deidara spotted the inn quickly as it was the only house that still had its lights on, aside from the bar. He started to walk in its direction. It was not like he was stalking her or something, he hadn't yet found a place to stay for the night and if that inn was good enough for Sakura then he might as well take it too.

* * *

><p>It was still early when Sakura exited the inn and set out for the port. And she would be damned if the captain wouldn't take her to the Lightning. She was bored as hell and needed that job she was offered – an assassination. Of course, she still hated killing people but she also didn't want to spend the rest of her life in some hole, watching her back for bounty hunters and hoping she wouldn't run into some problems. She could go back to Konoha, but – over her dead body! Only if the damned Council died would she consider returning to her village. They didn't like her and she didn't like them, so she had no desire to see those old geezers any time soon.<p>

Two weeks ago, when she first entered this town, she was approached by a man who had offered her easy money and took her to his boss. The boss informed her that there was a man in Lightning who had some problems with a local businessman and very much wished him out of his way. It was up to her how and when to terminate him, they didn't care about the details, but the outcome had to be the businessman's death. She accepted. She'd be a fool to decline; it was a lot of cash.

There were times when she wondered how the hell she had gotten like this – ready to kill for money. But then again, it was what she had done most of her life – kill for the likes of the government. Higher good, they told them, to keep our citizens safe, when in fact they were no different from the criminals they despised so much. Hypocrisy at its best.

The harbor, unlike the rest of the town, was noisy. People were coming and going from every direction possible; women with heavy make-up and provoking clothes trying to desperately attract the attention of sailors – rough men with no sense of tenderness. Oh, how she pitied those women. Times were hard, yes, and money was little, but to lower themselves to such a level... then again, who was she to talk? She was a killer. Her body was created for doing it quickly and with no hesitation, often using the oldest trick in the book – seduction, a kunoichi's best friend. Her experienced and trained eye didn't escape the fact that the men around the ships were casting approving glances in her direction instead of the other women's. She was very well aware that she had that effect on average men, who didn't see kunoichi that often, much less on a ship in the middle of a sea.

Her feet took her to the captain, who had promised her that he would see if there was any chance he could get her to Lightning. He had said that it was possible and that there would be a place reserved especially for her. She approached him confidently.

"Morning, Captain," Sakura greeted lightly.

He turned to regard her, and when he remembered the pink hair, his face lit up with a polite smile. "Good morning, young lady," he greeted back, "you're up early."

"Of course," she responded with equal politeness. "I wouldn't want to miss my only chance to get to the other side without freezing to death in the middle of my run."

Something akin to guilt crossed the man's face and Sakura's eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry," he hesitated. "But I can't take you to Lightning."

Her expression remained indifferent as if he hadn't just told her that she had spent two completely pointless weeks in this shitty town. She could have already been halfway to her destination by foot if she had gone when it wasn't this cold. "Why not? I thought it was clear that I had a place on your ship and that you'd take me there."

"Look," the cold demeanor put him on edge and he took one cautious step back, "I know what I said and I'm a man that keeps promises, but I can't take you there. The winter's colder than the last 10 years put together and all the ports in Lightning are frozen. No one's going there. I'm sorry, but you'll have to find another way or wait till spring."

Like she had that much time. It was a pain, but she'd have to run all the way. Sparing another dark glare at the Captain, Sakura turned on her heels and walked back to the inn to get her belongings and start moving. She passed by many sailors and prostitutes in the short and narrow streets, her dark and angry aura frightening them. She couldn't care less about them right now, but the urge to punch something or someone was strong.

Just when she was starting another round of throwing silent curses to no one in particular, a familiar voice came from a dark alley: "Need a lift, 'mm?" In the much lighter street came a smirking Deidara.

"Are you following me?" She asked suspiciously.

"You wish. I was just in the neighborhood when I sensed your chakra. Thought I should at least say 'hi'," he said casually.

Sakura eyed him. "It's 5.a.m. Shouldn't you be, I don't know, sleeping?"

"I could ask you the same, yeah."

"I told you last night that I had a ship to catch," she spat back, slightly irritated, and started to walk again, Deidara soon adjusting to her pace.

"And how did that go?" He asked, not bothering to hide the amusement in his voice. Sakura had the feeling that he was always amused about something, even seven years ago, when her kunai was pressed against his throat, he was still amused. How annoying. She didn't answer; instead she looked at him with a glare much darker than she had given the Captain. Deidara chuckled in response. "I suppose it didn't go that well." When Sakura still didn't say a word, he continued: "I can take you to Lightning."

Sakura stopped suddenly and looked at him, suspicion written all over her face. "How?"

"Think harder and you'll remember, yeah."

Her eyes again narrowed. She recalled in memory all she knew about him and then remembered. The bird. He could make a bird out of his clay to transport himself. "Why?"

Deidara sighed. "Don't be so stubborn, Sakura."

"I'm not being stubborn. I'm being cautious." Deidara snorted at Sakura's statement. "I don't have a death wish; I'm not riding your bird."

"Come on!" He exclaimed. "I'm practically living on it – the safest transport you'll ever see!"

"Says someone who gets kicks from blowing up stuff," Sakura said, a challenging look in her eyes.

Deidara wasn't a very patient man. If he hadn't promised Itachi that he would bring Sakura to him, Deidara would have given up, but for the sake of Itachi he tried one more time: "Look. By foot it'll take you up to four weeks to get where you need, by ship – two. I can take you to your destination in one week or even less. The choice is yours."

He had a very valid point. The sooner she'd finished her job, the sooner she'd get out of this freezing land. "And you're sure it can hold two people?"

Deidara gave her an incredulous look. "If it couldn't, do you think I'd ever offer you to come with me?"

Sakura sighed. "Fine. But I have to go back to the inn and take my backpack."

"Then let's go," he grinned.

* * *

><p>To hell with it.<p>

"I'm not riding on that _thing._"

Sakura may have experienced a lot of thrills in her life, but this was far beyond everything. What if it crashed into something? Or what if Deidara suddenly ran out of chakra? What if she fell asleep and then rolled of the bird and Deidara couldn't catch her in time? No, it would be safer and healthier for her nerves to go by foot.

"Sakura," Deidara said sternly as if he had guessed her thoughts, "get on the bird." Sakura merely glared at him and then continued to observe the bird. "It's safe, yeah." He even reached out for her; Sakura stared at his hand. It wasn't like she trusted him with her life – he used to be her enemy. There was no guarantee that he really didn't want to avenge his dead partner. "Are you going to decide anytime soon?" He was irritated.

"Are you a hundred percent sure that it will hold us both?"

"Yes!"

"And it won't crash?"

He sighed. "It totally depends on my chakra. As long as I have enough chakra, there will be no problem and – "

"But what if you run out of chakra, like, in the middle of the sea?" She was acting completely unlike a real ninja would, she knew that, but – for Kami's sake! – Sakura had never gone flying up in the sky!

Deidara jumped off of the bird and landed right in front of her. He grabbed both her shoulders and shook her a bit, then looked in her shocked eyes. "I may not have my chakra control at your level, but it's perfect enough to steer that thing without any failure. Besides, I've been doing this for the most of my life, I could do it probably while asleep," Sakura's eyes widened more. "Relax, woman. And get on the bird. Now." When she still didn't move, Deidara gave up. He took her hand and jumped back on the bird, dragging Sakura with him. "Hold on tightly, yeah. It jerks a bit at the beginning."

...

When the first shock and fear disappeared and her feet were securely attached to the bird with chakra, Sakura started to relax and enjoy the sights she was seeing. It was a new experience she'd never forget. To fly up so high that people looked like mere sticks and feel the cold wind playing in her hair... she had never felt this free before. Sakura closed her eyes and sighed. She was grateful that Deidara was so persistent and had actually _made _her set her feet on this giant clay bird. And now that the sun finally started to rise and its early rays warmed up her cheeks Sakura thought she could stay like this forever.

Deidara watched Sakura relax and close her eyes. Her face looked so peaceful and happy that it made him smile. He knew what she was feeling at the moment and could say from his own experience that this feeling never faded away, it only grew stronger. When the sun's rays reached the kunoichi, he gasped slightly. The pink in her hair tinted in softer colors of red, pink and orange, it was like her head was the source of the sunrise. And then her lips curled into a small smile... Deidara's heart skipped a beat and all he could do was to stare at the woman so close to him. The urge to run his fingers through her hair or caress her cheek so strong, that it was hard to control himself.

But he shook it off quickly. He _was _interested in her, but he also didn't have privilege to lose focus on his task. He'd let her do her job and take her to Itachi and see what would happen then. Though he did hope that Sakura would join their little group and their goals would become hers too. And that she'd see pass their pasts as criminals.

The sun rose, greeting the world with a bright embrace, promising the two travelers up in the sky new adventures that would change their lives forever.

But - would it be for good or bad?

That they would have to find out on their own.

* * *

><p><em>Aaaand we're done with the first chapter. *phew* <em>

_A thank you goes to those who reviewed, favorited and put on alert this story. Thank you._

_A lot bigger thank you goes to my awesome beta_ _**TheAliensDitIt** (go, check out her stuff!) Leen, I've already said this you a few times, but - Thank you! You're awesome. Like, really, really awesome. I mean it. _

_Alright, gonna stop now. _

_Lemme know what you think about this and drop a review on your way out!_

_See ya,_

_~RoseCallisto._


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

They landed outside a small town, three days' flight away from Sakura's destination. It was dark already, as it always was when winter came. They walked silently side by side into the town and looked for an inn where they could spend the night.

Sakura still hadn't recovered from the ride that had made her experience so many feelings simultaneously. What touched her the most was that feeling of limitless freedom. She had actually felt happy that she was alive there, up in the air on Deidara's clay bird and could understand why he was always in a good mood. It was better than crushing a mountain into dust.

"Let's try this one, 'mm," Deidara pointed at an inn across the street; Sakura nodded.

The inn was quite decent, with a wide and well lit lobby at its first floor. There were people sitting in black leather armchairs and talking to each other. Coffee tables between them held hot drinks and snacks, enveloping the room with a sweet and cozy scent.

"Welcome to our humble establishment!" A woman in her mid forties, with light brown hair tucked in a bun and a polite yet heartwarming smile on her face, greeted them. "If you're looking for a room, then you've come to the right place," she continued to sell her inn. "My name is Hana, how can I help you?"

"We'd like a room with two beds," Deidara took a step towards the woman behind the counter and gave her his most charming smile. Sakura gaped. One room? Is he nuts? Too bad she was too exhausted to argue, who knew that keeping yourself attached to a clay bird for three days could exhaust you so much.

"One room with two beds," Hana exclaimed (a bit disappointedly, Sakura thought suspiciously). "For how long?"

"One night, yeah."

"I have just the perfect one you're looking for. Here's the key and enjoy your stay!"

"Thanks," Deidara winked at her and the poor woman blushed.

When they were out of the woman's sight and walking down a hallway that led them to their room, Sakura punched Deidara's arm.

"What the hell, Sakura?"

"One room? You actually expect me to sleep in the same room with you?"

"It's not like you objected, 'mm," he rubbed the sore spot.

Sakura smacked her forehead and mumbled some profanities. "Whatever. You're lucky that you asked for two beds, otherwise you'd be the one sleeping on the ground."

"Ouch. Giving me the cold shoulder so soon?" He teased her. "Is that how you repay me for allowing you to ride on my bird?" Sakura glared at him and waited for him to unlock the door. "Besides," he continued while opening the door and switching the lights on, "it's cheaper for us to stay in one room than in separate ones. I assume you're low on money too, right?"

"Hn," was the only answer he got from the pink haired woman. Sakura threw her backpack on the nearest bed and then removed her cloak. "I'm taking the shower first."

Deidara nodded. "You do so. I'll order something to eat."

When the door to the bathroom closed and he could hear the water running, Deidara quickly took a scroll from his bag and unrolled it. After finding something to write with, he wrote a note:

_Found Haruno. 50 miles north-east of Kumo in one week._

Then he performed some seals and the words vanished from the scroll. He knew that in a matter of seconds, those words would appear on a sibling scroll that was in Itachi's possession. It wasn't a complete lie that he didn't know where the Uchiha and his partner were hiding, because he didn't. It was almost three months since he last saw them and they communicated only through these scrolls. He knew it wasn't probably a very good thing that he didn't tell Sakura they were about to meet the other two men, but if he told her, there was no guarantee she'd come along. So, Deidara reasoned, he'd just let the future surprise them.

Deidara hid the scroll back in his bag and then ordered some food. It was nice to lay his tired body on a bed and let the warmth of the room surround his senses. For three days they'd been flying and taking shelter in caves until they finally found a town big enough to have an inn. Shower, sleep, food and they'd be all happy-go-lucky again. Sakura wasn't a pleasant partner to be with when she was in a grumpy mood.

There was a knock on the door, indicating that the food had arrived. At the same time Sakura emerged from the bathroom, wearing clean clothes and a towel around her hair.

"Good timing, yeah," he smirked at her.

...

They ate in silence, both deep in their own thoughts. After that, Deidara entered the bathroom to take a shower.

Sakura took her cup of tea and leaned against the windowsill. It was a nice change having Deidara accompany her. For years she had traveled alone, often wishing for someone to just be there with her. Sometimes she hoped she'd stumble upon some old friend, but she knew that most likely they were all dead. Sometimes she'd get homesick and every village would remind her of Konoha, but always she stopped herself in time from running back home. She wasn't ready yet to face the place that had once been her home, but was now mere ruins. Maybe sometime in the future she'd be able to return, but currently she'll have to find a way how to survive and not loose sanity.

She wondered what Naruto would say if he could see her by Deidara's side. The one who was responsible for Gaara's death, a member of the once so powerful Akatsuki. He'd probably be furious. But he wasn't here anymore. Just like the rest of her team and friends. She sighed. Why did destiny choose to let her live? Why? Was it because there was another task she had yet to complete before it was time for her to die? If so, then what was it?

Her thoughts turned back on her blond companion. Deidara was interesting, passionate, funny, and smart, to say the least. Their conversations often led to fiery fights as both Sakura and Deidara were stubborn and wouldn't admit that the other was right easily. But in the same time, Sakura enjoyed those conversations, even though they were often about art and things that would contradict with her beliefs when she'd still been that naive 16-year-old. Now she was used to thinking that her opinions on the matters of ninja lifestyle and what's right or wrong was the same as a missing nin's. She was one herself, so it didn't surprise her that much anymore.

Deidara was also a very good looking man and she often found herself staring at his profile while he scanned the area beneath them. His blue eyes held so much passion for life that it made her feel ashamed of her own depressed thoughts. He was in this lifestyle far longer than she was and yet he enjoyed every minute of it. And that smirk that was _always _there. Especially when he knew that he had won their argument – oh, how she longed to wipe it off his face with one not-very-gentle punch.

The sound of the bathroom door opening and Deidara coming out with a satisfied smirk (Sakura inwardly rolled her eyes) on his face brought Sakura out of her thoughts. Her eyes landed on her _shirtless _roommate. _Oh, he is attractive_, she thought. A moment later, her eyes followed drop of water that trickled from his hair and slid down his muscled torso. Her stare did not go unnoticed by Deidara and his smirk turned into a mischievous one.

"Like what you see?"

Sakura snorted and turned her face away to look out of the window again. "Don't flatter yourself."

Deidara chuckled and put on a shirt then walked over where Sakura stood and leaned against the wall next to the window. He looked at her. She had a sad look on her face. Her eyes were looking out, watching the few people who were there despite the late hour, but he could bet that she didn't see them; her eyes held that faraway look.

"Something bothering you?" He asked, for once leaving the signature smirk out of this.

Sakura's face slowly turned in his direction and she gave him a small smile. "I'm just remembering the past."

The war, Deidara guessed.

"Did you lose many?" He asked.

She didn't answer for a moment and then slowly nodded. "Everyone precious to me." Deidara knew the best way to deal with that sort of pain is to simply talk it out. He was probably not the best one to help her with that, but there was no one else who was ready to listen to her. She intrigued him and he wanted to know more about her, be it pain and suffering or happiness. He'd try to make it easier for her to let go.

"Tell me," he said and smiled at her when she looked at him with wide eyes.

"What? Why would you want me to tell you?"

Deidara, already expecting this question, only shrugged. "Why not? It's not like I'm gonna tell it to everyone, yeah. Besides, it's a well known fact that it feels better after you've entrusted your pain to someone."

"Still," Sakura frowned, "what's your benefit in it?"

"Getting to know you better?" An amused eyebrow slowly rose on Sakura's forehead. A question did form in her mind – why would he want to get to know her better? Did he too feel that awkward tension between them every now and then? There was an attraction between them, Sakura had noticed it right away. And the need to let it all out longed to take over her; she desperately wanted to forget. She wanted to move on and start a new life, to finally open a fresh page in her book.

"Will you tell me about yourself?" She asked.

Deidara chuckled. "Sometime, if you wish, yes."

Sakura nodded and smiled. "Very well then. But remember – you asked for it."

He rolled her eyes. "Just go on."

A small smile curled in the corner of her lips. He would be the first person she had opened up to since she'd left Konoha. That thought alone felt alien in her mind. So, she took a deep breath and started her story.

"First ones to die were my parents. There was an ambush behind our lines on Konoha and before any reinforcements could arrive, half of the village was dead, including them," her eyes briefly locked with his and then turned back to the window. "They were trapped in their house when someone set fire to it," – a shaky intake of breath and she continued – "and the next one was a guy a year or so older than me. Rock Lee, a master in taijutsu. But that was probably his weakness in that fight; his opponent was exceptional in ninjutsu. Then Choji, Kiba, Shino... all three of them the pride of their clans. I couldn't save them because I was stationed in one of the medic tents far from their battle scenes. When I heard of their deaths... that was the moment when I truly understood what it means to be a part of a war. You don't go on a war and expect to come out of it the same." Deidara watched her intently, not missing all the emotions washing over her face. It was always hard to listen to war stories and hers was no exception, but he had asked her to tell him and he'd told her he'd listen to it. Even if those names of her friends didn't ring a bell to him, imagining what it must have felt to experience the horror of war thrilled him to his very bones.

Sakura continued: "From that moment I did my best to save the injured, often working myself till I collapsed from chakra loss. I improved myself, even made the Hokage teach me how to store my chakra into a Yin Seal-"

"Yin Seal?" Deidara interrupted her.

"It's a seal that allows the user to store chakra for emergency uses. If you have seen the Godaime Hokage then you know that she had a diamond-shaped mark on her forehead. I have one on a different part of my body," she explained and then continued to tell her story. "After I had mastered the seal and started to store my chakra in it, the next blow to my heart came. She was a close friend, even closer to Naruto, the Kyuubi. Hinata was her name. Every now and then she would come and help the medics heal people. In one those times she was attacked by a medic, who in fact was a disguised Zetsu clone. I was too late; the other medics were civilians who didn't know how to heal with chakra. She died in Naruto's arms. We could barely stop him. It was a good thing that he had learned to control the Kyuubi, otherwise, I probably wouldn't be here now. "

Deidara frowned at the plant-man's name.

"Few weeks later we heard that Sasuke had made an appearance. Naruto was gone after him faster than we could stop him. It was a fight I'd never forget. Sasuke with Itachi's powers and Naruto in Sennin mode and with the demon's chakra. Everything around them stopped; we all watched them slowly killing each other. With the last bits of his chakra, Naruto gave one final blow to Sasuke. They both died. I'm sure that's when I lost it. I was so angry... so angry that I demolished everything in my sight. Tsunade had to come and literally slap some sense in me," she laughed bitterly.

"After that, I was determined to improve myself more and stop being so useless. I snuck back to Konoha's secret library of forbidden jutsus and stole them. I've always been a quick learner so it wasn't long before I had them mastered. But none of them could be used when they brought me an unconscious Sai. I fought for his life for two days, but in the end he died. Then the Kages decided to send medics on battles too, though I was still kept in the tents as the head medic. Weeks later they brought me a half-dead Shizune, the Hokage's first apprentice, senior to me and the closest thing to a sister I've ever had. She was poisoned. Tsunade and I fought for her life until we both passed out from fatigue. Shizune died, Tsunade never forgave herself. Then we received news that the second in command of my team, Yamato-taicho, was missing. We never found his body or any signs that he was alive."

The whole time, Deidara was listening to her story and cursing himself over and over for not noticing earlier that Tobi wasn't who he said he was. He'd used the Akatsuki to bring war upon the world, to cause pain and destruction. If he could, he'd kill the bastard with the most dangerous jutsu he knew.

He noticed tears falling down her cheeks and sighed. This – to relive all the emotions she had probably stored away in the furthest corner of her mind – must be a lot to bear. Deidara understood it. He was smarter than most people gave him credit for.

Sakura didn't seem to notice the tears. Instead she took one more breath and continued: "My sensei, Kakashi, the Copy Nin, was killed right before my eyes. He was protecting me while I was healing someone. That was the last blow to my sanity. I went on a rampage. I killed anyone who wasn't our ally, anyone who dared to come near me. I put to use all the forbidden jutsus I'd learned. I didn't care anymore what was to happen to me. Somehow I was the only one left alive from my team and I felt like I didn't deserve it. On the last year of the war, the Kages went fighting too. It wasn't long after almost all of them were defeated too. My shishou, the Hokage, didn't want me to heal her. She just wanted to die. I let her. Few months later, we won the war. It was the end of evil and the beginning of chaos. When we returned to Konoha it was a mess – people were starving and dying on the streets. I couldn't take it anymore, so I left. And here I am now, four years later, killing people for money, gaining the reputation of a ruthless killer and trying to forget the hell I had to endure."

It was silent in the room as Deidara struggled to find the right words to say to her and Sakura was trying to deal with the relief that now filled her heart. Whether Deidara was aware of what he had done to her or not, Sakura was grateful. She didn't know if they'd ever meet again after he'd take her to the town she was heading, but the week they had spent together would always stay in her memory. It was the week when she had opened up to a complete stranger, to a former enemy.

She looked at the man a few steps away from her and smiled a real, genuine smile at him. "Thank you," she said, "for listening. It helped me a lot."

Deidara smiled back. "That's the least I can do."

"Yeah..."

Another awkward moment of silence and that weird tension. Sakura shifted nervously and pointed to her bed. "I... uh... it's late... so..."

"Sleep well, Sakura," Deidara closed the distance between them, so there was now only a little space between them and took the cup of finished tea out of her looked up at him with wide eyes, but didn't back away.

"You too, Deidara."

He stared down at her. To Sakura it felt like déjà vu from that time, years ago, when he had leaned down in an attempt to kiss her and now she found herself asking that question again – did she really want him to kiss her? Or should she just take the first step and –

"Goodnight, Sakura," his voice woke her from her thoughts. He was still staring down at her, only now he was smirking again.

Sakura could have slapped herself for having such foolish thoughts. She quickly took a step back and nodded. "Goodnight." She was under the covers faster than Deidara could blink, her back turned against him. A grin broke out on his face and he shook his head, bemused. An intriguing woman, indeed.

* * *

><p>The next morning Sakura awoke with a good mood. She felt like the burden of her past had finally been lifted off of her. And all thanks to Deidara, who had wanted to hear her story.<p>

Sakura shifted in her bed to look at him. He was still asleep, his long blond hair sprawling all over the pillow, lips slightly parted. She silently, as to not wake him up, made her way to the bathroom to take a quick morning shower.

When she finished and went back to the room, Deidara was awake and doing some stretches. "Good morning," she said in a light tone.

Deidara turned his head towards her and smiled. "Someone's in a good mood, yeah. Good morning to you too."

"Well, it's all because of you. I never thought that if someone would just listen to me, it'd make me feel so much better."

He simply shrugged and flopped back on his bed. "If you share your pain with someone, it certainly makes it easier. I'm a simple genius like that," he grinned.

Sakura chuckled. "Aren't you so full of yourself?" She too sat on her bed. "So, how long will it take for us to get there?"

"Three days. It shouldn't take any longer."

"I see," Sakura nodded.

"What's this job, anyway? Why go all the way to the middle of Lightning?" Deidara asked.

"Well, for a simple assassination it has a huge pay. The man who hired me had over ten shinobi and rogue nins gathered to find the strongest among us. It just so happened to be me. Said he needed the best. It's about this one businessman who's causing problems to another one and I have to kill him. He didn't give me the details, only said that I'd have an inn room reserved for me and that there'd be a man waiting for me to give further details."

"Ah," Deidara nodded. "I guess this job is nothing to you, right?"

"Depends on the details," Sakura agreed. "Shouldn't we get going?"

"Right," Deidara stood up, "meet you in ten minutes downstairs."

* * *

><p>Sakura walked down the stairs, mentally checking her things to see if she'd left anything behind. More absorbed in her thoughts than her surroundings, she didn't notice the shadow following her since she'd closed the door of their room. But, thanks to her highly trained ninja reflexes, Sakura could grab the hand holding a kunai before it came any nearer to her neck. Flashing a quick glance at the kunai, she noted to herself that this wasn't the usual civilian bounty hunter,<em>if <em>the person was here for that purpose.

Without thinking any more, she crushed all the bones in the hand with the help of her chakra and soon enough a terrified scream of pain was heard from behind her. With one swift movement she crushed the man in the nearby wall, the broken hand still in hers and pressed tightly against the wall, while her other was fixed around the man's neck, just tight enough to keep him in place, yet let him breathe.

He was indeed a shinobi. A hunter nin. Sakura slammed him one more time against the wall for good measure when she noticed that he wore a hitai-ate that represented him as a Konoha shinobi. In any other situation she'd sneer, satisfied by the sound of his back bones breaking, but this time she gritted her teeth in frustration. In all her four years as an independent kunoichi, she'd never been attacked by anyone from Konoha. Until now.

"Is Konoha already targeting me?" She asked, tightening her hold on the man's neck. Now she really felt like a traitor, since they'd sent a hunter nin after her.

The nin tried and failed to smirk as Sakura's glare turned into a murderous one. "Yes," he choked out.

Anger took over her and she growled. Fucking bastards! She had never killed anyone important to Fire country and purposely avoided anything that came from that direction. It had been over a year since she'd last set her foot in that country. Why then? Did those two old bastards who refused to die – Koharu and Homura – manage to take over Konoha again?

"Why?" she asked the ninja.

"You're a disgrace to Konoha," he said.

Sakura frowned. A disgrace? Now she was sure that the Council had sent him. He took a scroll out of his pocket and handed it to her. She shook her head and motioned for him to open it up and read aloud. He did so: "_Haruno Sakura is hereby announced as a missing nin by leaving the Hidden Village in the Leaves, unauthorized. Must be returned to the Village alive to be punished for treason._"

"Who signed this?" She hissed.

"Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura," he said.

He barely managed to say the last letters of those despised names because Sakura, in anger, strangled him for a moment. Recovering quickly, she faintly loosened her hold on his neck.

"What's your rank?" She asked.

The question confused him, but he answered: "Jounin."

Sakura snorted. They'd sent a miserable _jounin _after her and expected him to capture or even kill her? She hadn't felt so underestimated in years.

She eyed the jounin and decided that it wouldn't be wise to kill him in the inn, so she knocked him out, grabbed his collar and stomped through the lobby, ignoring the shocked stares from the other guests and exited the inn.

Deidara was sitting on a bench when Sakura approached him and threw the unconscious body at his feet. He looked up from the man to the furious woman and arched a brow.

"We have a problem," she said. "He's been sent after me. From Konoha." Deidara's eyes widened; Sakura continued. "He's a hunter nin and if he's here, then the others must be somewhere around. Any suggestions on what to do with him?"

The blond bomber stood up and smirked. "Depends on what message you want to send to your village, yeah."

...

Two men and one woman, wearing the jounin uniform and Konoha hitai-ates stared at the sight in front of them. Their teammate, who they'd sent to investigate an inn where Haruno Sakura had been seen, was nailed on a tree branch. The nail pierced through his chest, with a note attached to it. His blood was still dripping, so that meant they were only a few minutes too late. It was silent around them, they heard not even the slightest chirp from the birds.

The single kunoichi in the team, wearing a long, blond ponytail, shook her head and mumbled: "Sakura, what are you doing?" Then she went up to the dead shinobi and read the note. It said:

"_Took you long enough."_

...

Deidara was starting to get irritated. The angry aura coming from behind him on the bird was growing stronger and stronger with each passing minute. _That damned woman needs to calm down, like, right now_, Deidara thought.

He scanned the area and found a snow-covered clearing. While she was muttering profanities, Sakura was ignorant of the fact that they were landing. Only when Deidara gave her a warning that she needed to 'get the hell off' the bird, did she notice that they were deeper in Lightning. There was already snow and it was freezing.

"Don't tell me we're continuing on foot," she frowned.

Deidara snorted. "You will, if you don't do something about that temper of yours. It's too annoying , yeah."

Sakura sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just that..."

"That what? That you never imagined that your home Village, the ones who you trusted the most would ever send hunter nins after you? Well, wake up, yeah," Deidara crossed arms over his chest and nodded in her direction. "You're not even wearing your hitai-ate. What do you expect, yeah?"

Sakura threw her arms in the air and shouted, "Fine! You're right, I admit it and I get the idea why they want me to punish for treason. And you're not wearing the hitai-ate either, because it's too dangerous to be recognized as a shinobi. But a _jounin_? They send a fucking _jounin _after me?"

Deidara was amused. "You're pissed that they sent a jounin, not because you'd be punished for treason if you decided to return?"

A fine, pink eyebrow shot upwards. "I'm not exactly a saint, alright. I'm more surprised that they didn't take me out during the war."

"Right," Deidara laughed. "Did you even plan on returning to Konoha at some point?"

She thought for a minute. "Maybe. When the Council's dead. Right now, I don't think it's quite smart to even set foot in Fire. Of course, I could deal with anything they send to fight me, but why challenge Fate?"

Deidara's smile faltered and he looked in her eyes. "If someone offered you to become a part of a different village, would you accept it?"

"Wha –" Sakura shut her mouth to think over the odd question. What had gotten into him so suddenly? But then again, if given such a situation, would she accept it? Would she break the bonds she shared with her home completely? It was a question she didn't have an answer for yet, but she was aware that it'd rise again in the future. "I don't know. That's a very big step I don't think I'm ready to make."

"Figured as much," Deidara smiled faintly. "Well, forget about it. Are you still angry?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes. Angry and ready to punch something."

"Why do you think we landed here? To talk?" A smirk found its way back on Deidara's lips. "Go on, I give you permission to demolish this clearing. We're far enough for those nins to not hear the crashing sounds and it'll take them a while until they'll pick up our track."

Sakura chuckled and readied her right fist for a well needed punch. "Where have you been all my life, Deidara?"

He shrugged. "Avoiding you at all costs. We weren't on really good terms, yeah."

"No shit," she laughed and channeled chakra in her fist, "then step aside, sir, because I'm gonna let it all out."

Deidara watched Sakura's actions, amazed. It was unbelievable that such a petite woman could have so much strength – enough to demolish the whole clearing in just a few blows. If he didn't have his kekkei genkai and clay, he would've wished for her abilities. They truly created chaos just as beautifully as his art.

The last thought startled him. Did he really just call her art beautiful? It had been years since he'd last admitted that someone's art was beautiful and worthy of his attention. And ironically, it had to be this particular woman.

He shook his head in disbelief. What else did Fate prepare for him?

* * *

><p><em>...and there goes another chapter of 'Head above water'. I hope you enjoyed it.<em>

_Thanks to those who were kind enough to review, I really do appreciate it. Another 'thank you' goes to my amazing beta **TheAliensDidIt** - she's the best, I swear. _

_And, thanks for reading this._

_Let me know what you think about this and drop a review on your way out._

_Se ya'll in the next chapter._

_~RoseCallisto. _


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The town of Kaede was one of the smallest industrial towns in Lightning. It focused mostly on exporting lumber to other cities, as it had quite some woods around it. And when you stepped inside the town, you could already smell the unmistakable scent of resin. But even though the woods had a rich population of pine trees, spruce, and juniper, its tree of honor was maple – hence the name 'Kaede'.

The first thing Sakura noticed after entering Kaede was that there were barely any brick houses. In fact, 90% percent of the houses were made of lumber. There was a statue of a young woman looking in the direction of the woods in the center of the town. Even that was made out of maple. The statue reminded her of something she had seen in port towns – a young woman waiting for her husband to return from the sea.

The streets were busy, as is every town in the middle of the day. Despite the frost biting their cheeks, the citizens of Kaede seemed happy. They were rushing to whatever business they needed to attend, buying and selling all kinds of items in the crowded market place. Some musicians were performing local music in a square nearby and children were running around, shouting and throwing snowballs. For a moment Sakura felt homesick. All of this... it resembled her childhood memories of Konoha. She had to stop the nostalgic tears from forming in the corner of her eyes before her travel partner noticed them.

Speaking of him – he had a fond smile on his face too, when he observed the daily routine of the town, and Sakura had to wonder if all this reminded him of his hometown too.

"What was the name of your inn, 'mm?" He asked before she could properly finish the thought in her mind, startling her a little. His back was faced against her and he was looking around, trying to find their inn. Sakura noted that without the infamous red-clouded, black cloak, Deidara almost fit in with the citizens. If she didn't know who he was or if he didn't have the ever-present cautious look in his eyes that all shinobi had, she would definitely mistake him for one of the local men.

"'The Wooden Horse', I think," she answered, trying to find the piece of paper where the inn's name was written down. However, there were a jumble of other items in her deep traveling cloak, and she couldn't find it.

"What a tacky name, yeah," Deidara replied cheerily, obviously in a good mood. "It's like this one in Grass – 'The Black Sheep'. Makes me wonder about the creativity people nowadays have." He laughed, amused.

Sakura noticed how his whole face lit up when he was in a good mood – and, she inevitably noticed a split second later, that he had a very nice smile. Surprised at the direction her thoughts had taken again, she frowned and turned her head to observe the surroundings. Apparently, she was spending way too much time with him, since she was starting to notice things like that.

"Hn," she muttered. "It should be somewhere near here. In towns like this, inns are usually close to the center." Deidara nodded thoughtfully and resumed his previous action.

"Maybe we could ask someone?" He suggested sensibly.

"No need for that," Sakura pointed in one direction, "there it is."

Indeed, the two storey building she was pointing at was the inn they were searching for. It was one of the rare brick houses with small windows and a neat, creamy-colored picket fence around it. The homey atmosphere was completed with a well-kept garden. It looked awfully cozy – in short, unsuited to house people with the reputation the two travelers had.

Deidara crinkled his nose. "It's..." he struggled to find the right words to describe it.

"Old-fashioned?" Sakura helped. "Too much of a postcard picture?"

"Aa," Deidara spared the inn an unimpressed look. "I want to burn it down."

Sakura gave him a disbelieving look that expressed her very thoughts on this matter. "When you do it, please, make sure I'm not in it."

Deidara grinned at her manically, making Sakura revise her positive opinion on him. "Arsonist," she added while walking past him.

Right when she had almost succeeded in that, a passerby bumped into her, causing her to lose her footing on the slippery, ice-covered sidewalk. She crashed heavily into Deidara and he too fell, landing in a large drift of snow, Sakura on top of him. She groaned and spat out the melted snow that had somehow gotten in her mouth.

"Could you, please, get off me, yeah?" Somewhere from under her, Deidara was very displeased with his situation. "It's freezing down here."

"Sorry," Sakura apologized and hurriedly stood up, offering her hand to help him get up. When they had both successfully navigated their way out of the snow heap, Deidara glanced at Sakura. She had felt very light on him; the impact wasn't that strong for him to lose his footing. It was more the surprise of how tiny she had felt, so fragile, as if he had been holding a porcelain doll. Now that he thought about it, she did look a little thinner than women her age and height usually were. If he hadn't seen it, he would never believe that she was the one who nailed the unfortunate hunter nin to a tree few days ago. Didn't she get enough food? He dismissed that thought, because while she admitted that she was low on money, she wasn't stingy on food. Maybe she had some illness or was under a lot of stress. He knew far too well how stressful the life of a missing nin – or someone who was deemed a criminal in their village – could be. While most thought that having a Kage send hunter nin on their tails was sort of an achievement, it was exhausting, to say the least.

"Are you alright?" Her voice found its way to his consciousness and he put a mocking sneer on his lips.

"Some ninja you are," he teased, "don't they teach you how to keep your feet attached to the ground in Konoha, yeah?"

"I could ask you the same," Sakura said pointedly.

"Right," Deidara smirked, then motioned with his head to the inn, "let's get inside. I don't want these clothes to freeze to my skin."

Sakura rolled her eyes, and with a smirk of her own, said: "Weakling."

Deidara narrowed his eyes."I dare you to say that one more time, yeah."

"Weakli –" and Sakura found herself in the snow drift, again, covered almost head to toe with snow. Deidara was already on his way to the inn.

"Hey!" She shouted after him. "Little help?"

"I thought I was a weakling," he shouted back, grinning like a school boy.

"I take that back?" she offered. "It's really cold."

Deidara laughed. He came back, hands stuffed in his pockets and a grin on his face; he leaned down a little to get a better look of her face and asked: "Do you mean it?"

"Yes!"

"From the deepest corners of your heart, 'mm?"

Sakura made frustrated sound and attempted to get out of the heap on her own, but failed. "Are you serious? What are we? Teenagers?"

He shrugged and straightened his posture. "Good luck on getting out of it on y –"

"Fine!" Sakura cut him off, but ignored the victorious sneer he had. "I mean it." He looked at her expectantly; she gave up. "From the _deepest corners_ of my heart."

"Now you're talking, yeah."

* * *

><p>Deidara and Sakura entered the inn, laughing heartily and with a healthy blush on their cheeks.<p>

The inn looked much better on the inside than on the outside. Though it still had that provincial charm; there were comfortable looking couches and armchairs with a flower pattern printed on them and vintage wooden coffee tables in the lobby. There were paintings of the countryside on dark, wooden walls, and pictures of well-known people that apparently had stayed here.

The air was filled with the sweet smell of freshly baked pies and other pastries. Apparently, inns in Lightning tended to have the same look and smell, as 'The Wooden Horse' had some similarities with the previous inn they had stayed at. But Sakura liked this inn; it looked cozy. And it brought back memories of her childhood when she'd visited her grandparents who lived far away from Konoha.

Strange how this town and everything in it could make her relive flashbacks of her childhood so much. It made her sad and happy at the same time. She had never before felt as nostalgic as today.

"Well..." Deidara started while still looking around the warm lobby. "This certainly brings back some memories." He ended with a light chuckle.

_It does? _Sakura almost voiced her thoughts, barely stopping herself. She certainly couldn't imagine him, of all people, saying something like that. Sure, he had been a child at one point too, had a normal family and a normal childhood, but the fact that he was once a wanted criminal in all the shinobi nations made it harder to believe.

Now that she had those thoughts, Sakura was curious. What made him join the Akatsuki? Nothing much was known about why exactly Deidara and the others had joined the organization. Had the Leader offered them something they couldn't refuse? Or had he simply _made _them join?

In an instant, the faces of Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame flickered through her mind, almost making her snort. There was no way she'd ever believe that someone could actually make men of their caliber do something unwillingly.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," a tall, good-looking young man came up at them, smiling a little sheepishly. He was wearing clothes that looked a lot like a uniform and there was a name tag fastened on the flap of his jacket. 'Tomio', now that he had their attention, gestured to the registration table. "I can register you there."

...

"We have a reservation under... Yamamoto Kenji, I believe," Sakura said when Tomio registered them. To Deidara, it didn't go unnoticed that she had said 'we' instead of 'I'. Slowly a sly smirk curled on his lips. If he understood this correctly, then he didn't have to come up with an excuse to stay around until they met up with Itachi.

Which was good news, because an angry Sakura is a scary Sakura. And Deidara didn't like scary.

If the unfortunate nin from three days ago had known better than to mess with her, he would most probably still be alive and kicking. Sure, it was Deidara's idea to nail him to the tree, but he never imagined that she would actually execute a stunt like that. That had surprised him, and he found himself respecting the cute pink-haired woman more and more.

"Yamamoto Kenji..." Tomio dragged his index finger down the list of names. "Ah, yes, here it is. Please fill this paper." He handed Sakura a sheet of paper. While she was absorbed into filling in the required information, Tomio's gaze flickered from her to Deidara every now and then as if he was trying to understand the relationship between them. To humor himself, Deidara stepped closer to Sakura and leaned against the counter, propped his head in his palm and looked over her shoulder to see what she was writing.

Sakura glanced at him incredulously, to which he answered with a grin. While a questioning brow slowly arched its way upwards on her forehead, Sakura lifted her eyes to look at the inn manager. He immediately broke into a wide smile.

_Oh, I get it now. _She couldn't believe what she was experiencing at the moment. Boys will be boys, apparently, if it took only one pretty woman to make them engage in some sort of battle (even if unintentional) over her.

She had thought more of Deidara. But then again, she had learned over the past days that this was who Deidara was – ready to take any challenge just to prove to himself that he was better than anyone around. He was an egotistical chauvinist with some issues in the mental department (that obsession with exploding everything in sight was nowhere near normal), but – Sakura realized with a slight flinch – that was why she liked him.

It was hard to admit it to herself, but she really did like him. It was impossible not to like someone who was so outgoing, interesting and attractive. She bet he'd be able to get all the girls swooning at his feet just by flashing them with his dazzling smile.

Sakura just realized that she had long since finished filling the paper and was now staring at it. She handed it back to Tomio and did not bother to look at either of the men, because she knew perfectly well what she'd see on their faces if she did look at them. Sakura lazily slid her eyes around the lobby. "For how long do we have the room?" She asked once she had seen everything she wanted.

Tomio again checked the list of reservations. "It was reserved two weeks ago for a month and since we were paid for it on the same day, you have two more weeks left, Haruno-san."

"I see. Thank you, Tomio," Sakura smiled up at him.

Tomio smiled down at her, and only when Deidara coughed in warning did he snap out of whatever fantasy land he had been in. Tomio handed her the key. He seemed to remember something and after a second or two he spoke again. "I almost forgot – there was a man who stopped by every now and then and asked whether someone has checked-in in the reserved room."

Sakura straightened her posture, her attention on the manager. "What's his name?"

The manager searched through all the notes he had on his desk. "Kajiyama Dai," he finally said. Sakura tensed a bit. It was the name of the businessman who had hired her. Yamamoto must have forgotten to tell her that the person she was supposed to meet here was the employer himself.

"Can you contact him immediately?" Sakura asked, nodding slightly at Deidara, who had a questioning expression on his face.

"Yes, of course," Tomio said without a hint of hesitation. "Please, take a seat next to the hearth, your clothes seem to be all wet and you must be freezing." He gestured to an open door that led to another room.

What the pair of shinobi hadn't seen when they first entered the inn was that the building was built in an L-shape. The section they were in right now was the lower part of the letter 'L' and the first floor was meant for registering the guests and keeping them entertained. There was a dining hall and a bar, as well as a simple sitting room, decorated similar to the lobby and with a wide hearth that kept the whole room warm and lit with a soft, orange glow.

"I'll have someone to prepare hot drinks and snacks for you," Tomio said as he led them to two armchairs next to the fireplace.

"Thank you," Sakura said, as she and Deidara sat down. The effect of the fire was immediate; its warmth seeped through their wet and cold clothes, sending shivers down their spines. Tomio left with a promise to contact Kajiyama Dai as soon as he returned to his post and then come back later with two portions of hot green tea and some lunch snacks. Dinner would be served in two hours, he had informed them.

"Kajiyama Dai was the one you were supposed to meet?" Deidara asked, holding his hands against the fire.

"Yeah," Sakura mimicked his action, "he is actually the one I'm working for."

The warmth from the hearth created a comfortable atmosphere and Sakura relaxed, soon feeling sleepy. If it wasn't for Tomio, who had returned with the promised hot tea and snacks, she would probably have fallen asleep, because Deidara – being the bastard he was – would let her and then tease her about it later. "Kajiyama Dai will join you in fifteen minutes. In the meantime, enjoy our refreshments. If you have any questions – don't hesitate to ask," he finished with a smile that was mostly directed to Sakura. The woman herself responded with a polite and tired smile.

"May I add that you have a very fitting name, Haruno-san," Tomio said. Deidara had to bite back a laugh attack that was nearly impossible since Sakura gave him a dirty glare.

"Yeah, thank you," she tried politely, but in the end it came out more forced than intended. "I get that a lot. Could you please leave us? _Now?_"

"Yes, of course," the inn manager got the hint and turned around to walk away from them.

When Tomio finally left them, Sakura and Deidara took off their heavy cloaks and ate their snacks in silence. The flight had exhausted them both. Sakura couldn't wait for a hot shower and a cozy bed. She shot one last warning glare to Deidara for good measure and turned her attention to the food Tomio had brought them.

"What will you do after you finish this job?" Deidara broke the silence. The cup of tea stopped in its journey halfway to Sakura's mouth, startled the unexpected question.

"I...uh," she cleared her throat and sipped a little tea as she replayed the plan she had for the next few months in her head. "I was thinking of going to the Land of Waters. There, on one of the smaller islands, I have an old acquaintance that I haven't visited in a while. What about you?" Every time Sakura had to lie to someone, she felt like the worst person on the planet. The first part was true – she had indeed planned on going to the islands, but she didn't have any acquaintances living there. She'd just figured that it would be a decent place to hide from her nightmare.

It had been calm and silent for a half year already. To be frank, it frightened her more than when _he _had actually found and tortured her in his own special way. She shuddered inwardly. Deidara was a good distraction; his good mood was contagious and she found herself relaxing more and more around him.

...But she had to remind herself not to let her guard down. She had to remind herself that she couldn't be too attached to Deidara, as she could not risk his life too. Even if they were former enemies, she did not wish for Deidara to die a death as cruel as that other man, three years ago.

Again Deidara's voice broke through her thoughts and she had to mentally thank him for distracting her from her depressing thoughts. "Ah, there's always work for someone like me, yeah," he said cheerfully, but his eyes were observing her intently. Sakura had the feeling that he was able to see right through her, read her mind, and she could not hide anything from him.

That again reminded her of Naruto – how his piercing blue eyes had been able to see right through any lie she'd tried to tell, how he had seen 'underneath the underneath' when it came to her.

"Right," Sakura tried to chuckle, but all she could manage was a yawn. An amused eyebrow rose upwards on Deidara's forehead and before he could say something, Sakura cut him off sharply. "Shut up."

"I didn't say a thing, 'mm!" He protested childishly.

"Aa, but you were about to say something really annoying."

"You don't know that."

"I guess we'll never find out anyway, so shut up," Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, a challenging look in her eyes.

Deidara opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off again when he saw Tomio leading a man in their direction. He signaled Sakura with a slight nod towards the two approaching men and she turned her head to watch too. The other man was medium height, had honey-colored hair, and green eyes. He was wearing an expensive-looking suit and holding a black briefcase in his left hand.

"Kajiyama Dai, Haruno-san," Tomio bowed as he introduced the man to her. Then he again left, leaving the three in an uncomfortable silence.

Sakura cleared her throat and stood up. She outstretched her hand to Kajiyama for a greeting and said politely, "It's a pleasure meeting you, Kajiyama-san. My name is Haruno Sakura, Yamamoto Kenji hired me for you."

"The pleasure's all mine, Sakura-san," the business man said, equally politely, a kind smile gracing his features. Sakura was taken aback for a moment. She had to wonder why someone with such kind smile and honest-looking eyes would want to kill another person. There were other ways to sabotage competing businesses without spilling blood. Kajiyama Dai didn't appear to her as someone with ill intent or jealousy. It might as well just be a mask, she decided. Or maybe he was an ex-shinobi. "How was your trip? This is a perfect time when to visit Kaede – the snow makes it all the more beautiful, you should take a break and look around."

"Thank you for your advice, Kajiyama-san," Sakura said, eyeing the man in front of her carefully. If he had indeed been a shinobi in the past, then he was hiding his chakra signature well. A small voice in the back of her mind told her that she was being paranoid and that he was a civilian, and she should just calm the heck down. But then again, civilians were different from shinobi – you never knew their true intentions. "Are you the one who's supposed to fill me in with the details?"

Kajiyama chuckled a little. Deidara narrowed his eyes upon hearing that. "Straight to the point, Sakura-san. I like that. But first things first – I was told that there would only be one assassin. A female." He sent a weary glance at Deidara.

Sakura too glanced at her companion. He returned her gaze with a challenging, almost invisible, sneer on his lips. She had to think fast. There were two options, she mused. One – Deidara was just an old friend she'd run into in this inn and was keeping her company for the time being. Two – he was her partner. The latter seemed the most reasonable option, although it sure did lower her capability in Kajiyama's eyes and she did not want to appear as a useless woman who needed a partner to help her do a job.

But at the same time, it was not so unusual nowadays for shinobi to travel in pairs. Of course Kajiyama Dai wouldn't pay more just because there were two of them instead of one. She'd have to share the money. That was a pain, but she'd have to live with it.

And Deidara would probably give her one hell of a teasing after this, but she saw no other way out the problem. "Deidara is my partner. We work together, Kajiyama-san." As expected, her 'partner' was fighting a grin that had appeared after her sudden announcement.

"Oh, I see," their employer said slowly.

"I hope it's not a problem," Sakura added as she watched him carefully.

"Not at all, Sakura-san," he replied almost cheerfully, "if it means that you do your job better, then I have no problem with that. Now, let's get it over with, shall we?" Without waiting for their reply, Kajiyama continued: "The target's name is Shigi Ichiro. His factory is built deeper in the woods and I want you to kill him and demolish his petty factory. Not that there would be anyone left to take over his business, but one can never be too cautious, right?"

"Does this Shigi Ichiro have any family?"

"No, therefore there is no emotional pressure on you. I want it to be done professionally."

_He did not just say that, did he?_ Sakura thought angrily, chakra flaring. Oh, he was a civilian, no doubt. A shinobi would never assume that she was incapable of executing an assassination just because she was a woman – and therefore emotional and compassionate. She may be pretty, petite woman (as she had heard men talk about her) and maybe she had been a little too emotional back in her genin days, but she was definitely capable of locking away any compassionate feelings now.

Sexist bastard.

Sakura wasn't known as one of the strongest Leaf kunoichi for nothing. Perhaps right now she ought to demonstrate to the sexist jerk just how strong she could be –

A warning cough from Deidara brought her back to reality. She shot an angry glare at him that he only ignored. Instead he motioned with his eyes to Kajiyama.

The second he had finished what he'd wanted to say, Kajiyama Dai had suddenly felt an overpowering pressure taking over him. The air had somehow thickened, making it hard to breathe. He'd started to feel fear pouring out of nowhere. In fact, he could not remember the last time he had been this scared. The other two people present in the room hadn't seemed affected by this – it was as if he'd been the only one who felt that way. The pink haired woman did have a murderous glint in her eyes – was it something he'd said?

Sakura understood what Deidara meant. She had unconsciously unleashed her massive chakra on the unsuspecting businessman and now he was scared and sweating. Which, in her opinion, served him right for doubting her competency. She inhaled deeply and exhaled to calm herself a little. "Is there anything else we should know?"

Kajiyama put his briefcase on his lap and opened it. Then he withdrew an envelope in a dirty yellow color and handed it to Sakura. "There are more details that should help you in here, and about the payment –"

"It's alright –"

The business man interrupted her with a shake of his head and then spoke, "I will pay you more if you retrieve one thing Shigi stole from me."

Deidara perked up in interest. He had the feeling that this businessman had been keeping something to himself from the very beginning. Why else would he be here personally to give the details?

"And what exactly is it, yeah?" He spoke for the first time since Kajiyama had arrived, startling their guest, who did not expect the silent blond man to speak at all during their conversation.

"It's a porcelain doll, a family heirloom. It's been in my family for generations and is very valuable. Shigi Ichiro saw it once at a banquet I was holding and offered me money for it. I refused. A month later it was stolen from me. There's a picture in the envelope of how it looks." A shadow crossed his face, but he continued, "He's holding a banquet a three days from now. It's been 15 years since he started his business and I guess he wants to just show off. There's an invitation for two person in the envelope- I must have had a feeling you wouldn't be alone," he laughed at this, "it's a bit of a short notice, but I'm sure you'd figure something out."

"So," Deidara leaned back in his chair and looked slyly at Kajiyama, "you want us to execute a murder _and _to be thieves on top of it all?"

"It's not stealing when you want to get back what's yours, yes?" A smirk, equal to the Cheshire Cat, graced the businessman's features. Suddenly Sakura wasn't so sure if she liked this man at all.

* * *

><p>Sakura had lied to him.<p>

Deidara was absolutely sure that she'd lied about going to the islands. An old acquaintance? Bullshit. There was no one waiting for her – of that he was certain. What bothered him (and he had no idea why it did in the first place) was the fact that she had lied to him or told only half the truth.

If she didn't want him to find anything out, then why let him stay? Why tell Kajiyama that he was her partner? Sure, it was nice of her, because he'd get paid really good. And of course he did not expect her to reveal everything to him, nor was he her best friend or number one trusted person. But he at least expected her to be honest with him as a fellow post-war shinobi.

A thought shot through his mind suddenly. The hand holding his sake glass fell back on the bar counter and his lips parted in surprise.

Sakura was hiding. She was definitely hiding, but from whom? And why? He wanted to slam his head against the wooden counter. Again he was stuck with questions when he tried to solve the mystery that was Haruno Sakura. That woman was full of secrets and surprises and he dared not think of what he would find if he decided to dig further.

The glass was empty, but Deidara ignored it as he recounted everything he knew about her.

Officially she was chuunin level, but considering her huge chakra reserves, brute strength and all the medical jutsus she probably knew, she could easily be counted as an ANBU in every shinobi village.

She was responsible for the death of his late Akatsuki partner, Akasuna no Sasori, and the Bingo books said that she was an expert on poisons.

He motioned for the barkeeper to refill his glass and withdrew the latest Bingo book from his pocket. Deidara had mostly bought it out of curiosity; he wanted to know whether he was back in it or not. Since he was declared dead, his name was crossed out.

Imagine his surprise when he saw the immense bounty on his next target – the pink-haired woman who was taking a nap upstairs in their room. And that her home village had declared her an S-rank criminal, accused of treason, with hunter nin after her. He shook his head a little. A ninja of her caliber would be a very valuable asset to any organization, governmental or not. Konoha would one day regret not having her knowledge in medicine and experience as Hokage's apprentice in a time of need. Itachi had definitely made the right decision.

But that still did not give him the answer to his question: who was she hiding from and why? That is, if she really was hiding.

He rubbed his temples. Too much thinking when he had intended to have a drink and relax. If Sakura knew how often he thought about her, she'd feel a little more than disturbed. Especially if she knew his dream last night. He rather preferred to do those things in reality than in dreams, more so if his partner in question was none other than Haruno Sakura, whose secrets he was trying to decipher.

He laughed a little and. When the barkeeper looked at him curiously, Deidara, after glancing around the room, said to him, "Drinks on me for everyone."

_Oh, yes, _he thought as loud, appreciating shouts followed his proposal. _These will be fun days here._

* * *

><p>Despite the fact that Sakura was really tired and wanted nothing more than to shut down her brain for few hours, she found herself unable to sleep. She had been tossing and turning for over an hour in the large bed she had to share with Deidara. In fact, that man was mostly responsible for her lack of sleep.<p>

He saw her through, she just knew that. He had the same piercing blue eyes (a shade different, but that wasn't her point) like Naruto, and she was reminded of her dead teammate every time Deidara gave her his serious, observing gaze.

And sometimes she really felt like he could see deep inside her heart and wrestle the truth from her. No matter how carefully she guarded them.

Sakura knew he hadn't really bought her story about going to the islands. She saw it in the same pretty, azure and vivid eyes.

She groaned loudly and threw the covers off her.

And that sexy smirk. She hated and loved it at the same time. Another loud groan and the covers were back on her, this time over her head. Suddenly Deidara's offer of having a drink downstairs at the bar didn't sound so bad. However, it was healthier for her hormones to stay here, away from that devilishly handsome man –

_There I go again, _Sakura thought angrily. The dream she had last night was probably responsible for her currently haywire thoughts. Sometimes, Sakura truly wished that there could be a jutsu to switch off dreams for a while.

An idea formed her mind. There _was_ a jutsu that sent chakra jolts to the user's nerves and eventually lulled the user into a dreamless sleep. A dangerous and addictive method if performed by an unprofessional, but she was no unprofessional. So she made herself comfortable and put her fingers on her temples. The chakra floated smoothly and with her fading consciousness, Sakura picked up Deidara's chakra approaching their room.

"Screw you," she murmured as her cloudy mind registered the fact that once again, he was the last thing on her mind. She'd worry about sexy, blond men and revengeful assassin employers once she had gotten a few hours of sleep.

* * *

><p><em>...I apologize for the long wait. -_- I sort of lost the inspiration and then life got in between...oh well...hope you had fun reading this chapter.<em>

_See ya in the next one!_

_~Rosie-chan._


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The morning before their 'big event' was really cold; Sakura had a hard time stopping herself from shivering and looking like a complete idiot for doing so. The chattering of her teeth echoed embarrassingly loudly, attracting the attention of the citizens of Kaede. One particularly bold young man almost got his face redecorated when he made a snarky comment about South pansies. But you couldn't blame her, now, could you? Growing up in a warm climate would spoil you big time. Yet Sakura was no whiner, so she sucked it up, brushed her hands against each other in an effort to generate some heat, and set out to hunt for a fancy dress store.

Last night she and Deidara had brainstormed dozens of plans for the job. They'd eventually ended up with the same conclusion – they'd have to pose as a couple attending the gala or banquet or whatever it was. It occurred to Sakura that she didn't really have any dress to wear for the event. Sure, there were a few really good ones in her storage scroll – some dresses even designer or custom made – but for some mystical and absolutely unknown reason, she wanted to wear something new, something that would take people's breaths away, something that would make Deidara stare at her in awe –

Alright, she really had no idea where that train of thought had come from and where its destination was, but point was – she needed a dress. And some heels too. And jewelry.

Sakura groaned and smacked her forehead. Why the heck was she so worked up over a job? It was simple – go in, kill the target, go out. Really, nothing she hadn't done these past few years. Well, she hadn't had a partner with her before, but she refused to believe it was because of that.

The streets were quite busy. It was nearing lunch time so Sakura decided that going out for some fresh air – and hopefully getting her head in the right place – would be healthier for her overly-reactive hormones. Apparently her plan didn't work, because her mind was far too preoccupied with a certain blond, handsome ex-Akatsuki member and other things like the unusual calm and quiet she'd been experiencing for these last six months.

It wasn't typical for _him _to let her breathe in her freedom for so long. Usually he'd find her in three or four months tops, remind her of his existence and humor himself with how desperately she wanted to kill him. The unusually long pause must only mean that he had prepared something 'special' for her. And she would lie if she said she didn't dread that day.

Whenever he came, he left her drained of chakra and willpower. He left Sakura ashamed of how weak she still was and wishing nothing more for the end to come.

Even worse, he had completely ruined her personal life. Now Sakura was angsty, jumpy and suspicious. She avoided physical attachments, no matter how strong her body pleaded to just give in. Being the compassionate person Sakura still was in her heart, she couldn't throw a man's life into a pit of snakes just because she wanted a relationship.

That was why she was so scared of how her relationship with Deidara was developing. She was afraid of the form and speed it was taking and the unmistakable signs of mutual attraction. It didn't help one bit that she was quite sure Deidara felt the same way. Funny what two strangers – formerly enemies – could become in barely a week. First she had opened up to him, told him things she hadn't told anyone since the war and now she was developing feelings for him?

_Feelings?_ She snorted at that thought. It was merely lust, she mused. Upon thinking when exactly she had started lusting after her so-called partner, a picture of him coming right out of shower – skin flushed and a little rosy from the hot water, long, damp blond hair falling over his shoulders and the way his muscles flexed with each movement – Sakura almost ran into a fellow pedestrian. She apologized quickly and resumed her thinking. He was shorter than most men she had dated or hooked up with, long hair unusual, but one thing he had common with the rest was the cocky attitude.

Her childish crush on Sasuke must have ruined her view on men completely. Otherwise she wouldn't have fallen for the bad boys – what with the dangerous and slightly suicidal auras they emitted. But there had to be a first time for everything, right? She'd just have to get over this job as quickly as she could, say good-bye to Deidara – no matter how regretful she would feel about it – and set off for the islands. Settle in some small and quiet village, bewitch a poor civilian man with her flawless charm and try to live a normal life, or at least come up with a plan to deal with _him._

Most likely it would never work out, but it was worth a shot. Because she was so tired of it all – the running, the hiding, the lying – she hated it. And now she had Konoha on her tail too.

A traitor. Who were those two old sacks to call her a traitor when she hadn't done anything remotely wrong or against the village? Sure she had aided Tsunade in some shady deals, but she believed in the good intentions of her shishou. And she did steal some medical kinjutsu, but the Hokage had allowed her to do so.

But the things her mentor had entrusted her, things about her village that she at first refused to believe were true. Things that the Council was responsible for, like the Uchiha massacre.

She couldn't wrap her mind around how messed up – fucked up – the whole thing was. The sacrifice Itachi made was beyond her understanding. It had ruined Sasuke's life, and along with it, hers and Naruto's too. Because being best friends with someone so broken as Sasuke was nowhere near the sunny fairy tale she had dreamed it to be. He gave up any chance at happiness for a ton of lies and for that alone Sakura wanted to bring a slow and painful death to the Council.

While cursing violently in her mind, Sakura barely noticed the clothing store she was passing by. Deciding to give it a shot, she entered it and immediately regretted going in. She hated shopping.

She took a deep breath and dove into the racks of endless dresses.

This was going to be a very long day.

* * *

><p>Sakura's left eye twitched violently.<p>

Normally, she wouldn't mind the situation she was in. Maybe she'd blush a little but she'd enjoy what was supposed to come next, nevertheless.

It was the night before the banquet Shigi was holding and Sakura had wanted to have a few drinks with Deidara before that. So she and Deidara had gone downstairs to the bar.

The problem was: she hadn't expected him to get this drunk.

She had tolerated his flirting; it was flattering at moments. Because which woman wouldn't like to be the center of attention of such an attractive man? So maybe the term 'tolerated' wasn't quite the right one – she had (kind of, maybe, sort of) enjoyed it. She internally grinned at all the jealous stares she got from the women around her. And then Tomio had finished his shift and joined them. Oh, Sakura had wished she had something to capture the rivalry between the two men.

But now, this was absolutely embarrassing. Or at least that was what she had tried to tell herself.

Since she was a medic, Sakura could neutralize the alcohol in her body quickly, so she wasn't even close to being drunk when it was time for her and Deidara to call it a night. She had dragged him upstairs then pulled him into the room. And then she only wanted to take a shower and sleep. Well, she definitely couldn't have guessed what came next.

Confident that her partner was asleep, Sakura was in the process of taking her top off when the unexpected happened.

Deidara swept her off her feet and threw her on the bed, her hands securely held above her head. _Furious _was an understatement to how Sakura was feeling at that moment. She glared at Deidara, ready to knock him out.

"The heck are you doing?" She hissed at him.

"You, hopefully," he grinned lamely, due to being hopelessly drunk. "'S the matter, Sakura? Let's have some fun... yeah."

Sakura groaned. With a little bit of force, she succeeded in freeing her wrists from his grip and before he understood what was happening, she sent jolts of chakra through his temples. He let go, the sensation sobering him a little, yet he didn't back away. She glared at him and rubbed her wrists. Deidara chuckled and leaned on his elbow, resting his head on his palm and observing her as if she was the most interesting thing on Earth.

Sakura gulped, feeling a little self-conscious under his open gaze. She licked her lips that had suddenly gone dry and nervously met his eyes. "Deidara?"

"Mm?"

"What's the meaning of this?"

An eyebrow arched upwards on his forehead and he smirked smugly. "I'm merely observing one of Nature's finest masterpieces, yeah."

"Very funny," Sakura mumbled and tried to sit up, but Deidara didn't let her. He pushed her back on the bed.

"Relax, I'm not going to do anything to you," he smiled. "Relax."

Sakura frowned. "You're drunk."

"Am I?"

The serious tone of his voice threw her off guard. She shifted her head to have a better look of his face. For once there wasn't a playful glint in his eyes or a smirk on his lips. He was watching her intently.

Something in her stomach flipped. Could it really be that he too wasn't ignorant of her, that he too felt the tension?

_Well, obviously_, the inner voice in her mind stated in annoyance. _D__o you really think he'd flirt like that if he thinks you're unattractive? _It was a rational thought, Sakura mused. But then again, it could have been the effects of alcohol. _Oh, right. Because he is such an 'inexperienced' person and has never gotten drunk in his shinobi life. He was an Akatsuki member, for crying out loud. _The voice again shared her reasonable opinion.

He held her gaze for a while, then his eyes again traveled down her torso. The top had rolled up a bit from his actions, revealing her flat stomach and a barely visible scar.

"Why haven't you healed this one?" He asked softly, his fingers caressing lightly the spot on her side.

Sakura laughed a little, remembering who was responsible for that scar. "It was my first fight where I could put to use everything I had learned from the Godaime Hokage. I kept it as a reminder of my brush with death."

Deidara's eyes flickered back to her face, curiosity evident in his eyes. "Really? Who did you fight?"

"Remember the time you captured the One Tails?" His eyes widened for a fraction. "Well, you flew off with the Kazekage and my teammates, leaving Sasori alone against me and his grandmother. It's his doing."

He opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind and closed it again. Sakura spoke before he could say anything else. "It was a real death match. He tried to poison me with gas, then with whatever that thing was in his stomach, but I had already made an antidote from when he poisoned the Kazekage's brother. But that puppet show was really something else. I think even his grandmother was quite stunned of how well he had mastered the jutsu. He was really amazing, I must admit it."

"So, how did he do this?"

"Stabbed his sword right through me."

Deidara grimaced as he replayed all the memories of that mission. "You didn't look that beat up when you found me, yeah."

Sakura giggled lightly. "Unlike you. Yeah, well, Sasori's grandmother saved my ass with a forbidden jutsu. All the records of it were lost during the war, otherwise I would have learned it too."

"Sucks for you then, yeah," and there was that smirk again. "By the way, I never really found out how you brought the Kazekage back to life."

She sat up and this time he let her. Sakura put her arms around her knees and said, "The same forbidden jutsu. Sasori's grandmother transferred all her remaining chakra into him. She died and he was revived. I was still alive when she performed that jutsu on me, so it didn't do much damage to her."

Deidara whistled in awe. He fell back on the bed and put his arms behind his head. Then he thought better of it and reached for a pillow to tug under his head. "Medics," he said slowly, "are some pretty weird people. The things you can do... are amazing, though."

Sakura laughed a little and looked over her shoulder to meet his eyes. "Well, the more a medic has perfected her skill, the more things she can do with it."

At this his eyes flashed in curiosity and interest. "And what about you?"

A sly smirk appeared on her lips. Deidara had a feeling that the answer would amaze and scare him the same time.

"Just about everything I want to," she answered.

He grinned and stared at the ceiling. "Remind me not to run into you when you're in a bad mood. By the way, what's your Nature affinity? I presume that someone of your level has mastered two, am I right?"

"Aha," Sakura laid next to him. He offered her a pillow that she gladly accepted and continued with her answer. "Water was my first affinity and I mastered Lightning too because my shishou said I have an affinity for it. She had it too."

"Hn, that Uchiha brat had an affinity for Lightning," the blond bomber pouted. "Earth is naturally weaker against it and I got hit a few times. Maybe that's why my Ultimate Jutsu failed," he ended quietly, already deep in thought as he pondered over that possibility.

The woman next to him propped herself up on her elbows and looked at him curiously. "Ultimate Jutsu?"

Deidara turned to face her, an excited smile on his lips because he got to talk about his art. "Yeah. I worked on it for years. One of the advantages of being an Akatsuki member was that I had unlimited resources for mastering my art. It was even expected of me to do it." He observed his palm for a moment and then added thoughtfully, "My masterpiece."

"What happened? Why did it fail?"

The knuckles of his fist turned white as he gripped it tighter. "I was supposed to die along it. I was supposed to become the very essence of my art." The light in his eyes turned dark – malicious, even. "That damned Uchiha brat... he was supposed to die by witnessing it. He was almost out of chakra yet he could summon that snake and hypnotize it with his Sharingan. Not only did I fail at killing him, I also failed at completing my masterpiece, yeah."

Sakura wanted to tell him that it was ridiculous – why would he want to blow himself up, anyway? – when she saw that he wasn't finished. "I was so pissed when I woke up on the other side of the world. People there didn't speak any languages I knew and it took me almost a year to get back here, 'mm. That brat is lucky to be dead now, otherwise I'd kill him myself."

She couldn't hold back the chuckle when she saw the pout on his lips. For one of the world's most dangerous men, he sure was emotional. Then a thought struck her. "Hey, do you remember when you fought Sasuke?"

Deidara turned his head her direction, a thoughtful yet confused frown on his face. "Seven years ago... I think. It was two or three months after we extracted the One Tails. Why?"

"I was just remembering," Sakura said, scratching her chin as she calculated the years and months back. "I think I saw that Ultimate Jutsu of yours."

His eyes widened in surprise. "You did?"

"Yeah," she nodded slowly. "We were after Sasuke. I was at one village following a trail when suddenly the whole place was overwhelmed by a massive amount of chakra and then that... thing appeared. It was..."

Deidara didn't miss the glint in her eyes. Something flipped in his stomach. From the very beginning, he had gotten the feeling that Sakura would understand his art.

"...Marvelous," she finally finished.

The stunned expression on her face as she remembered his jutsu got Deidara. Maybe it was the influence of the alcohol in his veins that made him bold, or maybe he was just fed up with the tension between them, but he found it undeniably erotic when a woman spoke with such fascination about his art.

Whatever his reasons were, they all led to one outcome.

He kissed her.

It could barely be called a kiss at first, because all he did was press his lips upon hers. But when her fingers curled into his hair on the back of his neck, pulling him closer, Deidara couldn't help the low, primal growl that escaped from his throat.

The hunger with which he captured her lips left Sakura dizzy and she desperately needed air, but the amazing way he kissed left Sakura completely defenseless. In fact, she couldn't form a single coherent thought or make up a reason they should stop, even though something in the back of her mind pleaded desperately for her to get a grip of herself.

When he continued by leaving a trail of heated kisses along her jawline down to her throat, Sakura had a moment of clarity. The much-needed air sobered her clouded mind and she felt guilt taking over her. Allowing this to go further would throw Deidara into the same nightmare she was in, and she absolutely did not want that. She sucked in a breath when his tongue ghosted over her skin.

"Ngh... Deidara," she could barely form a word when his palm slid under her top, sending shivers all over her body. And Deidara, upon hearing her utter his name with a hint of desperation and longing in her voice, smirked against her collarbone and slid his hand further under her top, his lips again finding their way to Sakura's.

The woman under him, however, had her mind made up. It pained Sakura to do that, for she enjoyed the kiss as much as he did. Extracting her fingers from his hair, she grudgingly broke the kiss and met Deidara's lidded eyes. "I'm sorry," she started quietly, "I can't do this."

Deidara stared down at her in confusion. He had the impression that she wanted this as much as he, yet now she was saying she couldn't do it. "What do you mean, 'mm?" He asked.

Sakura sighed and freed her fingers from his long hair, resting them on his chest. "I can't – I want to, but I can't." She closed her eyes and whispered, "I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

"What are you talking about, Sakura?" He said slowly as he sat on his knees and looked down at her face, hurt and guilt written all over it.

"I'm sorry," she said again, more calmly than before, and hopped off the bed. "Please don't ask, Deidara. I'm going to take a shower." She dismissed him and retreated to the bathroom.

But Deidara wasn't the type to be dismissed so easily. He caught her wrist before she could disappear behind the bathroom door.

"What are you not telling me, 'mm?" He asked, turning her back to face him. She wouldn't look in his eyes. Instead, her gaze was glued to a spot over his shoulder. Annoyed, Deidara grabbed her chin roughly and turned her face to his. "Answer my question, Sakura."

"Or what?" She asked, giving him a fierce and challenging look. "You're gonna strangle me to death? Torture me until I answer? Please. It's nothing I haven't been through already." She spat with a bitter laugh.

Deidara was rendered speechless. Again he was left with no clue as to who exactly Haruno Sakura was. The more he tried to uncover her secrets, the stronger the wall protecting them grew. One moment she was approachable, ready to talk about whatever was bothering her, and the other moment she was all shut down, fists ready to fight and protect whatever she wanted to protect from prying eyes.

He had a faint suspicion that it had something to do with the fact that Konoha was hunting her down and her experience on the war. She wanted to hide, he knew that – it was written in her eyes.

"Why would I do that?" He asked evenly, not breaking eye contact with her. "If I had anything against you and wanted to kill or torture you, I would have done it the moment I saw you, yeah. We're not enemies anymore. We're the same now. Partners."

The angry frown was again replaced with a guilty one as she slapped the hand on her chin away. "We're partners only until we finish the job tomorrow. After that we go separate ways."

He helplessly watched her retreat to the bathroom and close the door behind her. He heard the water start to run as he grabbed his backpack and searched for the scroll to send a message to Itachi.

After he finished the last sign, he transported his location and a request for the Uchiha and his partner to arrive at the inn soon. Deidara shot another glance at the bathroom. He'd met his fair share of troublesome women in his life, but Sakura was by far the worst of them. And the most attractive one too. Which was a real problem, because he wasn't sure whether he could think clearly when she was around.

He shook his head and sighed.

There was a slight buzz from the scroll, signifying Itachi's answer. Deidara huffed. This night sure was full of surprises. It was rare that he'd receive an answer from the Uchiha.

Deidara opened the scroll and read.

_"We'll be there tomorrow night. Be careful. There's an unidentified and dangerous chakra source near you. Don't act before we arrive."_

Well, that was news. How come he hadn't picked up on any suspicious chakra?

Just what was going on?

* * *

><p>Sakura fixed her short hair into a neat bun at the base of her neck.<p>

Ever since last night, she and Deidara had been trying not to talk to each other. Or at least she was. Deidara gave up after she had purposely decided to only talk about their mission and nothing else.

It was better this way, she assured herself. It'd be easier to leave this way.

The reflection of her in the mirror showed her how perfectly the black, medium-sleeved dress suited her. Right now she wasn't so sure if the low cut on her back was appropriate, given the current status in her relationship with Deidara. The dress ended just in the middle of her upper thigh, revealing her long, athletic legs in all their glory.

Only a shinobi would notice the two kunai strapped on her inner thigh. The silvery high heels matched the purse in her hands. Ironically, it held only a kunai and a set of senbon, not lip gloss or other womanly essentials.

She inhaled deeply and let out her breath in a huff before leaving the bathroom.

Deidara stood with his back to her, buttoning up his white shirt and seemingly not noticing her. Sakura bit her lower lip when she noted how well it suited him.

As he reached for the jacket, he turned in her direction and froze upon seeing her. She chewed nervously on her lip as he observed her from head to toe, even letting a ghost of a smirk grace his features, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. "You ready, yeah?" He asked nonchalantly and turned his back to her again, putting on the jacket.

"Yeah," she answered and checked the contents of her purse again to hide her anxiety.

"How do you want to do this – fly there or use a transportation jutsu, 'mm?"

"Your bird would attract too much attention."

Deidara nodded and slipped a few kunai in his pockets. Sakura bet that behind the buttoned jacket there were clay pouches too, probably even a pair of shuriken.

"I'm ready too, yeah," he straightened his jacket and turned back to her. "How do I look?" He asked with a sly smirk and a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Sakura laughed, his cheerful inquiry having lightened the mood in the room.

"Charming as always," she replied with a smirk of her own.

"You look good too, 'mm."

There was the ghost of a smile that he showed so rarely and she loved so much. Again a pang of guilt stabbed her heart and Sakura took a step towards Deidara.

"About last night, I –"

"Forget about it, yeah," Deidara interrupted her. "I acted on impulse and shouldn't have kissed you in the first place."

"But –" Sakura tried to squeeze in her protest – she was at fault too – but again, the blond bomber cut her off.

He approached her, put both his hands on her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes. "It's alright, really. Let's focus on our job, okay?"

Sakura hated the familiar way in which Deidara treated her. It was the way Team Kakashi had always protected her, assured her that all the wrongs in her life would eventually fade away, that everything would be fine. This exact gesture, the tone in which Deidara spoke and the look in his eyes – they were the exact reminders of Kakashi. And... Someone else she didn't want to think about right now.

She dismissed the image of warm brown eyes and smiled weakly at the pair of bright blue ones. "Alright. Let's go then."

* * *

><p>One hour of travel away from Kaede, two S-class shinobi were approaching the town rapidly. The shorter one was leading the way, while the slightly taller man was close behind him.<p>

Just yesterday late at night, they had received an urgent message from their third companion to arrive as fast as possible. The message arose more suspicions after they picked up (with the help of the Sharingan) a strange, undoubtedly malicious chakra signature. As the Sharingan wielder pointed out, the signature was slightly familiar, yet he couldn't quite remember it. They had quickly finished their late meal and hadn't stopped running ever since.

Snow crunched under their feet, leaving a trail only visible to the experienced ninja eye. To a normal human being they'd be unseen at the pace they were running. The wind blew past them sharply, their long and dark cloaks billowing around them with little sound.

Red, swirling eyes narrowed and the only Uchiha alive quickened his pace, emitting an amused chuckle from his partner.

"Itachi-san," he started, with the ever-present smirk on his face, "did you notice something?"

"Hn," the addressed man replied rather unhappily by what he had sensed. "The chakra source hasn't moved from the place where Deidara and Haruno-san are residing at the moment."

Kisame huffed in slight annoyance. He secretly hoped that Samehada would get some action tonight, it had been anxious for a while now and the wielder of the sword himself itched for a fight. The owner of the unidentified chakra source seemed to be a strong one, because even without the Sharingan or any other special chakra sensory abilities, he had noticed it half a day ago.

Of course, it was only natural that he had heightened senses. He was half-human, half-shark in the first place, and that gave him an extraordinary sense of smell. There was also the fact that he had been an Akatsuki member for a decade, so he had excelled past the common boundaries of the typical shinobi. It amazed Kisame how his partner, Uchiha Itachi, had mastered the Sharingan. It had reached its prime by now and could cover large territories when scanning the area. Hence, they had already known, a day ago, about the unexpected guest waiting for them.

Kisame adjusted his speed to match Itachi's.

"That's interesting, isn't it?"

That was a rather rhetorical question. The Uchiha didn't answer. He was perfectly aware that Kisame also found the situation interesting.

It intrigued him – who this unidentified person was and why their chakra signature felt familiar to him. It could be someone he had fought against in the past, he was sure of that possibility. But then again, there weren't many opponents he had left alive or had survived Samehada's undying hunger for chakra. There were probably less than a dozen of the lucky ones, and considering the war, it narrowed the count even so.

He was positive that the person wasn't interested in Deidara. While the blond bomber was traveling quite openly after the war, to the majority of the shinobi world he was still dead and blown to bits. That left only Haruno Sakura.

And Itachi couldn't think of a single enemy powerful enough to track Deidara and Haruno Sakura.

It had to be someone else.

And he would be lying if he said he wasn't curious to find out who it was.

Itachi glanced over his shoulder and saw the same emotion written on his loyal partner's eyes. He smirked slightly.

With curiosity and excitement literally seeping from them, they both wordlessly quickened their pace and soon the silhouette of the welcoming Kaede Gates emerged from the evening shadows.

* * *

><p>After getting seated at one of the many two-person tables in the large hall, Sakura let her gaze travel over the other guests.<p>

They were mostly rich people who viewed this event as an opportunity to show off their wealth, either by arriving in expensive carriages or by having a young model look-alike, clothed in fancy dresses, fur coats and more carats in one earring than Sakura had ever owned in her life by their sides.

It was a blinding sight to say the least. The light reflected from the jewelry was starting to hurt her eyes. The fake smiles and forced polite chats behind her were getting on her nerves, so she leaned in Deidara's direction a little.

"Do you see Shigi Ichiro anywhere?"

Deidara picked up on her annoyance, understanding it completely. He sighed and shook his head. "No, I think he'll show up until the opening, yeah."

"Hn," Sakura grumbled and fell back in her chair.

Deidara spared her a bemused look. "Are you alright? You look a little pissed. Might want to tone it down, people are looking at you weird."

Sakura frowned in return. After glaring especially murderously at one of the many people staring at her, she replied, "This type of society just gets on my nerves." Her glare found few more victims, then she continued in a quieter voice. "I mean, look at the women – all dressed up in fancy dresses, jewelry and hairstyles. I doubt many of them know what purpose they serve here. And the men aren't any better. They'd do just about anything they're able to show off their wealth. Brainless, stupid people. That's what I love about shinobi clans that own large fortunes – instead of showing off the cash they opt for producing as many A- and S-rank shinobi as they can."

By the time she had finished her rant, the opening ceremony of the Shigi Gala had started. Deidara had listened to her with rapt interest. He didn't know whether Sakura was from a shinobi or a civilian family, and he couldn't quite figure it out even now. Her unique looks and genius in medical jutsu and chakra control should all point out the fact that at least one of her parents had been a ninja. He recalled her story about the death of her parents – they had gotten trapped in their own house and burned to death – that spoke against his theory.

It had been a while since he was so interested in a fellow human being, and Sakura was probably one of the most interesting people he had met in his life. Then again, most great shinobi had intriguing personalities. Yet he refrained from asking her about this topic. It was hardly the right place and time to ask that. He followed her example and observed the man on the stage.

It was Shigi Ichiro. As Kajiyama Dai's pictures had shown them, the businessman was a short and corpulent with dark brown hair and a round, laughing face. There was a tall, blond woman by his side, smiling widely, her arm hooked with Shigi's, creating a comical sight between the two of them.

Deidara heard Sakura snort at something the _guest of honor _had said.

After the opening speech, a big band started to play some music and soon the 'happy' couples were dancing – they appeared on the dance place one by one, filling space quickly.

Deidara spared a quick glance at Sakura. She seemed to be in deep thought or reminiscing about something, but whatever it was, she had a sad look on her face.

There was only a little hesitation before he asked her to dance. She looked up at him, startled from her thoughts, but then her minute confusion was replaced with wonder. It didn't take long for a smile to stretch on her lips and she accepted his hand.

Just as Sakura had noted last night, it felt so secure to be held in Deidara's arms. He held her close to himself, almost protectively. It felt a little odd to her because she'd known him for just a little over a week and she had quite rudely refused him yesterday.

Why did he have to be so nice to her?

She didn't deserve someone like Deidara. She didn't deserve anyone at all. Sure, he had his flaws and he scared her at times, because, just like her, he was a ruthless killer for the most of his life. He could kill her effortlessly if she made one mistake. But she also really liked him.

And that was the real problem here. She didn't want to find him attractive and to lose all focus on her plans.

Deidara's grip on her waist tightened and leaned down to he ear, drawing all her attention to him. Again.

"Shigi just left," he whispered, "wanna play ninja?"

Sakura made an amused sound in the back of her throat and nodded. She hooked her arm with Deidara's and they casually made their way to the door where he saw Shigi enter.

They didn't make it far – the shinobi pair barely took few steps when everyone in the room fainted. Every single person there just fell on the floor lifelessly. Sakura hurried to the closest fallen man and checked his pulse. Her brows furrowed when she couldn't pick anything up; after checking the body with chakra she had a clear answer as to what was happening there.

She shot to her feet and shouted, "It's a trap!"

"What?" Deidara stood up from where he was kneeling by an unconscious body.

"We've been set up," Sakura explained frantically and searched the area with her chakra. "I've seen this type of clones before – it's something the Akatsuki used to do."

"Body clones," Deidara said as he checked a few more bodies. "We have to get out of here."

Sakura nodded and they both started to run to the closest exit.

"Not so fast, my dear."

Sakura's blood turned to ice when she heard that voice. She froze mid-step, terrified and angry to her very core.

"The fuck" – Deidara had turned around and now faced the nightmare Sakura had been wanting to wipe off this planet – "is _he _doing here?" The surprise and disgust in his voice summed up what she was feeling at the moment.

"What am I doing here?" The slow but steady footsteps seemed to echo in her soul as the man came closer. "Well, I could ask you the same. Am I right, _Sakura_?"

The tone in which he said her name sent unpleasant shivers down her spine. She felt Deidara's questioning gaze on her as she turned around to face _him._

Yakushi Kabuto.

* * *

><p>Upon arriving at the place where Itachi had last felt Deidara's chakra, the traveling duo faced an enormous amount chakra blocking them.<p>

"Well, this is definitely exciting," Kisame grinned and unsheathed Samehada. "How do we get in?"

"We break in," Itachi answered. He touched the invisible shield blocking their way into the building; the air shifted, broke into small circles of waves and then smoothened out again. "This barrier is created through an extremely old jutsu; it requires excellent chakra control, focus, and strength to maintain in a large area." He stepped away from it and lifted his head to get a better look of the building. "The one who created this barrier clearly lacks one of those requirements because it flickers every now and then, creating blind spots."

"Then we need to find one," Kisame summed up.

Itachi nodded. He approached a certain spot and pointed at it, Sharingan flaming up in his dark irises. "Here, slice through with Samehada."

Kisame didn't need to be told twice. He swung his massive sword few times for a warm up and then sliced the air his longtime companion and friend had pointed. Even without the Sharingan, Kisame could see the change around the barrier. It vanished the moment Samehada cut it, allowing them to enter the building without any obstacles in their way.

They hurried to where they had felt the raging chakras of Deidara and Sakura. There was also another person – a man, by the feel of it. On their way, they passed dead bodies lying all over the place. The two ex-Akatsuki members exchanged knowing looks; they understood what purpose the bodies had served. The amount of bodies got Itachi questioning the sanity of the unknown person.

It was no joke confronting both Deidara and Sakura alone, not to mention when they were together. The challenger must be meaning serious business by setting a trap for two very skilled shinobi, even going as far as to use body clones. Who knew how many had died for this?

Itachi tried not to pay attention to the bodies by his feet as he led Kisame to where the three shinobi were fighting.

* * *

><p>Sakura took cover behind a large piece of debris that had fallen off the ceiling at one point and clutched at her stomach.<p>

"Are you alright?" Deidara knelt in front of her. He had dirt smeared all over his face. His hair was in wild disarray and his clothes were burnt from the flames of his bombs. There was almost no emotion in his voice; he had completely switched into the fighting mode most ninja slipped into when in combat – no time to think, to let emotions get in the way, just automated fighting and defending and jutsu-casting – the second Yakushi Kabuto had attacked. They had fought side by side against countless snakes in every size possible, many 'resurrected' shinobi, and the mastermind behind it all himself.

It was thrilling to see that murderous look in Deidara's eyes and to know that it wasn't directed at her; instead it was aimed at the enemy. She wasn't the enemy this time. His whole body literally yelled for blood with every move he made. It didn't take long for the blond shinobi to snap because of Kabuto's teasing remarks.

Sakura was glad to have him by her side.

"Yeah, it's nothing," she replied. The hand at her stomach started to glow green as she healed a bleeding gash. It faded out quickly and evenly, leaving no trace of a wound on her pale skin.

Deidara looked down at the torn hole in her dress. He could see the scar Sasori had made. Steeling himself, he asked the question that had been bugging him.

"In three words - what's your past with that fucker, 'mm?"

Sakura flinched inwardly. She had expected this question, but that didn't mean that she was ready to answer it. She met his eyes – cold, distant, gleaming murderously. And then there was a tiny glimpse of worry that convinced Sakura that Deidara needed to know. "I rejected him."

The silence and lack of attacks behind the debris shielding them meant that Kabuto was either scheming something or healing his wounds because Sakura made sure he got damaged too this time.

Deidara observed her for a small moment and nodded. "Continue."

She sighed, but complied nevertheless. "He has always shown an interest in my progress, whether it was in the Chunin exams or some other encounter. During the war, Tsunade assigned me a recon mission. I had to spy on him. In short, my cover got blown, I was held hostage and he developed some strange obsession with me. It's been a never-ending hunt since then. I run, he finds me, we fight and I run again. Hunting me down has become a hobby for him," she ended with a bitter laugh.

The clenching of his jaw was visible, yet he only nodded and stood up. "We have to kill him, yeah."

Sakura shook her head vigorously. "It's impossible," she shot to her feet and dusted herself. "Every time he's near death, he changes his skin, like a snake. Or it's just a body clone."

"There has to be a way," Deidara said, molding another clay bomb unconsciously.

"Let me know if you find one." She unstrapped her high heels form her ankles and tossed them away.

On the other side, Yakushi Kabuto grunted in pain as he pulled out the last senbon from his calf.

It had been a little difficult this time because she had that blond bomber with her. He didn't like that at all. Oh, he could feel – _see_ – what was going on between the two and that just added more fuel to his anger.

No one, not a single soul in the whole universe was allowed to touch _his _Sakura.

That perfect pink-haired, green-eyed, graceful woman – his, all his very soon. He'd make her see who she was looking for, who was meant to make her the happiest of women.

If only there wasn't that blasted ex-Iwa nin by her side. Kabuto snarled in disgust as he thought of what could happen between his woman and the Iwa-nin. Nobody touches her and gets out of it alive. Sakura should know better.

He needed to get rid of Deidara this very moment, but first he wanted to play a little with the woman of his dreams.

The smirk forming on his lips would make anyone shudder in horror as he performed the seals. Then he felt his blocking shield vanish and stopped his actions.

How inconvenient.

Kabuto quickly rethought all his plans and was about to perform a new set of seals when a large piece of wall was sent flying his way. He dodged it effortlessly. The cloud of dust slowly cleared, revealing the ones that had broken through his shield.

"Ah, look who's finally here, 'mm," Deidara said, without a hint of amusement. Completely ignoring Sakura's perplexed and questioning gaze, he performed a quick summoning jutsu to get more clay and started to mold one of his infamous clay birds. To her utter shock, Deidara didn't look shaken from the arrival of the Uchiha and Hoshigaki and all his movements told her that he had been waiting for this moment since the fight had started.

Once the bird was ready, he jumped on it and looked down at the shinobi beneath him. "It's about time you two showed up, yeah!" He shouted.

Kisame snorted and rested his large sword on his shoulder, then grinned a sharp-toothed grin at the blond man above him."Didn't know you were so eager to see us, kiddo."

Sakura felt like a bucket of water had been splashed all over her. The situation had become so surreal. One moment they were fighting for their lives, the next the notorious Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame had barged in between their fight. She didn't know what to think. Were they on her side? Was Deidara on her side?

Was this whole thing happening for real?

"Haruno-san," Itachi materialized right beside her, making the addressed woman jump. "We are here to help you." He had noticed her start and gave her an assuring nod. "You are not alone in this fight."

His words, the tone in which he spoke, left Sakura with more questions than before. Why was he here and why was he helping her?

Her wide eyes and quizzical expression must have spoken volumes to Itachi, for he gave her a tiny smile. "Later, Haruno-san. We have to focus on the matter before us."

As if the very words were magic, Sakura's mind momentarily sobered and she again set her mind on the goal – kill the bastard snake.

As if all her pleas for extra power had been heard, she could almost physically feel the support from the three men that she had used to view as enemies, that had been the last people she'd thought she could get assistance from.

With Deidara from above and Itachi and Kisame by her sides, Sakura dared to hope that finally the day had come when she would get rid of the nightmare that had haunted her for years. She truly believed that Fire, Water, Earth and her own Lightning would be enough to defeat Kabuto.

Little did she know that Kabuto had his own tricks up on his sleeve. The self-pleased sneer he wore as he took slow but steady steps towards them sickened Sakura to her very soul. A sense of foreboding dawned on her.

"My, my, Sakura," Kabuto started in mawkish voice, "are you really that reckless that you would throw away the lives of these three gentlemen?"

"Don't get so cocky, Yakushi," she snarled, unable to think of anything better to say. "Today is the day you die." Even Sakura herself was surprised with the sudden confidence in her voice.

"Over-confident much?" Kabuto laughed and watched with boredom as the quartet went through various seals. Sakura's he recognized on the spot, because he knew every jutsu she knew. He cocked his head to the side and watched with sheer amusement as they scattered all around him, locking him into a supposedly deadly trap. "This will certainly get _interesting._"

The feeling of déjà vu caused by the way he had spoken the last word froze all of Sakura's actions. The sense of foreboding was stronger than ever and she involuntarily started to dread what was about to come. As if in a dream, she watched the familiar, slightly modified Earth-Resurrection Summon Jutsu seals being formed by his quick fingers.

The sharp intake of breath and silence that followed after the seals turned everyone's attention to the pink-haired medic nin. Pale and visibly shaking, she looked as if she was seeing a ghost. Sakura herself wasn't sure if her knees could support her.

Yet she couldn't move a muscle.

All she could do was whisper almost inaudibly:

"...Han."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Well, this has certainly been my longest pause between chapters and I apologize for that. And hopefully you haven't forgotten about this story ^^<br>_**

**_As usual, an enormous thank you goes to my beta TheAliensDidIt - without A-chan, I'd be lost.  
><em>**

**_Moving on, no idea when you should expect the next chapter, life's been really hectic.  
><em>**

**_So, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!  
><em>**

**_Rosie-chan, out.  
><em>**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The Hokage angrily slammed the deciphered scroll on his desk, right next to a finished mission report he had just read as well. The room around him went silent and still.

"Amateurs!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. Half of what had resided on the desk was swept to the ground violently, as if they were responsible for the man's anger.

After decades of hoping to become a Hokage one day, Homura Mitokado never, ever imagined that he would have to deal with something like this. Even the ever-present support from his life-long friend and partner Koharu Utatane was not enough. He asked himself if he wasn't a little too old for this job. Rebuilding his hometown and restoring his shinobi lines appeared to be more stressful than he had thought.

He hastily rose from his chair. It nearly fell over from the speed of his movement.

"You good-for-nothing imbeciles!" His fiery gaze fell upon one team in particular. "This," he twisted the mission report in his hand and waved it at the team leader, "is not how you are supposed to lead a mission which you failed! And on top of it all, you lost a valuable team member to Haruno Sakura!"

"Hokage-sama, with all due respect–"

"But what?" He cut off the blond female shinobi – what was her name? A Yamanaka?

Ino inhaled deeply and mustered all her courage to speak up to her Hokage. "Our four-man cell had no hope against someone of her caliber–"

She was again cut off.

"You were trained by Tsunade too," Homura pointed out.

"Yes!" Ino exasperated. She hated it when people compared them. She knew that she was nowhere near Sakura's level as a medic-nin, and she wasn't offended by that. Quite the opposite – Ino was proud of her, and she knew that Sakura was likewise proud of her achievements in the interrogation field. They were completely different from each other, despite having Tsunade as their shishou. "But she can take out platoons just by swinging her fists whereas I never had the talent to use my chakra like she does–"

Getting cut off for the third time really shortened her patience.

"You needed to find and bring her back here to get punished for her treacherous actions! The urgency and necessity to terminate her person is just as high as Uchiha Itachi!" He finished in a high pitched voice, his face turning a dark shade of red in anger.

The room fell silent once more.

The captain of Ino's team – a used-to-be Suna nin a little older than her – cleared his throat and voiced out everyone's thoughts. "Uchiha Itachi has long since died, Hokage-sama."

"Wrong!" Homura threw down the deciphered scroll he had received from one of his many Leaf spies. "He is very much alive and kicking. Just like the half of the Akatsuki!"

All five of the elite shinobi teams gasped in unison and stared in disbelief at their Leader. Kumori, Ino's captain, picked up the scroll that Homura had so gracefully thrown at him. He could not believe the information written there.

Meanwhile, the Hokage inhaled and exhaled sharply to regain his composure and calm down a little. He sat down back at his desk and rubbed his temples, then eyed the twenty shocked shinobi. "Now," he started in a calmer tone, "I need a team that would be capable of retrieving Haruno before she's done something dangerous." His gaze flew over his subordinates. "Volunteers?"

Ino's heart died for a second. If he chose anyone who volunteered, it would mean the end for Sakura. She knew that most of the shinobi present were against Sakura because she left Konoha without teaching anyone how to build an effective medical system. Many believed that she was a conspirator and was sent by some Leaf enemy to spy on them. She had been trusted with tonnes of valuable and secret information that would do incredible damage to Konoha.

So, for the sake of the friendship she once had with the pink-haired woman, Ino raised her hand and said, "I volunteer."

"Out of the question," Homura said, not even sparing her a glance. "You're personally interested in the matter. And you were on the previous team that had the same assignment and you failed. That goes for the rest of Kumori's team – you're banned from this mission. Can someone please call the secretary? I need a list of ANBU that are not on missions and –"

The rest she didn't hear. The gears in her head spun rapidly as she tried to think of a way to at least warn Sakura. Ino was a hundred percent sure she didn't need the warning, but for some unknown reason, it would, perhaps, make her feel better. Maybe the thought that there was still someone who cared about her would make Sakura reconsider her actions.

"What are you thinking about, Ino?" Kumori asked her almost inaudibly.

Ino glanced sideways at her Captain. "I think I should pay a visit to an old and wise friend."

Kumori smirked down at her. "Meet you at the Nara residence tonight?"

"The same time as usual," Ino smirked back at him.

* * *

><p>The sudden appearance of Han struck her completely unprepared.<p>

She had barely gotten over his tragic death and now Kabuto had ripped open the wound and poured a gallon of salt in it. His death was the moment that made Sakura change her game plan and turn into a hiding ninja instead of a huntress. She had promised to herself that she would never again form an attachment as strong as this one to another person.

Han was older than her. Not as old as Kakashi or Yamato, but he was a jounin already when the war started. Yamato once told that he vaguely remembered his name from the ANBU recruitment list. Sakura knew him herself from her days at the hospital – he was always an easy patient, never complained or whined, never sparing compliments for her and just simply being kind. She mused that if it wasn't for her stupid obsession with Sasuke, she would have seen the signs already then.

She hated to think that she needed the war to open her eyes, to see past glory and find comfort in peace.

He had outlived all her closest friends. He was there when she needed him the most and gave up his chance to become an ANBU captain in Konoha to follow her wherever she went.

But she had only had nine months with him after the war. It was just their first encounter with Kabuto that had killed him. She remembered it all so clearly – Han leaning over her, covered in blood yet smiling through the pain, telling her he'd promised Kakashi he'd keep her safe even at the cost of his life, that she'd been the best thing that had ever happened in his life – was burned into her memory. She damned him for stepping in front of her and taking the fatal blow. She damned him for leaving her alone to deal with that memory.

She had been in the process of getting over his death.

She really, honestly had.

Seeing him stand in front of her, his warm brown irises barely visible in his dark eyes and poor lighting, was overwhelming. There was a reason she kept this memory a secret from Deidara.

This was her soft spot, her weakness.

To most it was common knowledge that Team Seven and Team Kakashi was her weakness, that by using them they'd get complete control over her. But Kabuto knew better than every enemy put together. He knew what Han's death did to her and he could manipulate it however he wanted to.

Kabuto wasn't a fool. He wouldn't pass up the chance to play with his beloved toy.

However, the situation before him presented an excellent opportunity itself. Before his very eyes stood the mighty Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame and Deidara of the Akatsuki. They were practically begging for some action and fun. He would ignore the fact that their presence reminded him of his ultimate failure and how he hated the blond psycho bomber for standing so close to his woman. The thought fed his anger, turning it white-hot. The spike of anger reached his brain and clouded all his upcoming thoughts and actions with madness.

"Yes, my dear," Kabuto said through a mad grin, eyes glinting in perverse excitement as he looked her over –wavy hair in complete disarray, dress torn, and barefoot. "You remember him, don't you?"

His laugh made Sakura's skin crawl.

"Oh, I'm sure you would never forget him," he continued, snakes gliding from his cloak endlessly, circling him in a hissing cage. "The love of your live, if I recall it correctly."

Sakura bit her lip as she felt Deidara's penetrating gaze on her back. There would be questions later – questions she didn't look forward to. She straightened her posture, bit back the tears and shot a venomous glare at Kabuto. It only seemed to turn him on more, but she didn't care – the less focused Kabuto was, the weaker he would be.

"Fuck you," she spat, launching a set of poisoned senbon. As expected, Han moved to protect his puppeteer, placing him in just the spot Sakura had wanted him to be.

Time stopped. It was just her and her late lover, facing each other the way they had done so many times in their sparring matches. Only now Han was a mere puppet in Kabuto's hands. It was simply his body moving in the memory of the ninja he once was.

Sakura told herself it wasn't the real Han. It was just a mere shadow she had to deal with. Without a second thought, she moved at the speed of light and approached Han, using her Water Release to create a wall around them, separating them from the others.

Han lifted his darkened eyes up and looked straight into hers. "Sakura," he breathed out softly.

The moment the wall of water shielded Sakura from them, Deidara attacked Kabuto with a loud growl. Bombs flew all around the grey-haired man. Kabuto took a step back and hissed in annoyance. His chakra reserves were low, since he had severely damaged his chakra canals when he'd used the resurrection jutsu. He hadn't even been able to store half of his full reserves. He could feel his chakra failing him when he performed complicated jutsu. The genjutsu shield, body clones and summoning Han had quite emptied him. He had hoped that Han's ninjutsu and taijutsu skills would protect him throughout the whole ordeal, but now he had to admit that his plan wasn't as bulletproof as it had seemed at the beginning.

When he felt that the bombs had made his point, Deidara went straight with his favorite kunai. His movements were swift and natural as he cut through the air, aiming at Kabuto's head, arms, or legs. His head was clear, with only one goal set in mind – kill Yakushi Kabuto. For a brief moment he worried about Sakura inside the water cage. She was all alone against a man he knew nothing about – neither his skills nor the amount of experience he had. Then again, Deidara knew that she was a very strong woman. Probably one of the strongest who had ever lived on this planet.

Kabuto fought back as skillfully as an apprentice of Orochimaru should. Deidara still remembered the damned fight against Sasuke. For a moment the senior apprentice had gained the upper hand, because Deidara was more of a long range aerial fighter than a close-combat ninja. But his resolve didn't shake.

He grinned his usual mad grin, the corners of his lips curling up naturally as adrenaline fueled his blood.

"You're not going to get away so easily, Kabuto!" He boomed after the retreating man. "We're gonna finish this fight as ugly as you started it, yeah!" The small clay bird that fell from his palm expanded into a bigger one.

"My art," he started after landing on the bird, "is something you will never experience again, yeah." Deidara looked down at all the snakes. Somewhere there, amid all the reptiles, the master himself hid like prey before predator. The irony hit him. He was the bird in the sky looking for his next meal – a mere worm.

"Because it's so fleeting that when you grasp the whole concept of it, the idea and essence of it – it's already gone." The nano bombs rolled into the hissing snakes. They didn't even have the slightest idea what was coming for them. "Because my art is an explosion!" He shouted maniacally and released the bombs. "Katsu!" The snakes started to vanish one by one. Like snowflakes, the skin split off the bodies, their agony prolonged by the slow death Deidara brought upon them.

"He is mad," Kisame shook his head.

"We all are," Itachi said pointedly from where he was sitting leisurely on a pile of debris. "In the world we live in, it's safe to say no one is sane enough." His arm rested on his knee. A ring with the Uchiha fan glinted on one of his slender fingers, illuminated by the red flames of Deidara's bombs.

Kisame leaned against Samehada. "I guess you're right as always," he chuckled. "The kids didn't even need our assistance – they're doing pretty good without us."

"Hmm," his partner hummed in agreement, his eyes glued to the water wall, monitoring Sakura's chakra with the Sharingan. For some reason he felt like looking after her.

Sakura dodged yet another kunai. A sound somewhere between a splash and a thud faded into the silence.

She felt it. Kabuto's control over had Han lessened, his chakra outside her water cage flickering every now and then. He was injured and tired, which meant that one of the three men was keeping him occupied – and doing a good job of it too. Sakura was thankful for that. It made things a lot easier for her. The resurrected form of Han had started to look more like the man she had once known.

Bruised and cut, she materialized near Han, chakra evened between herself and the clone to the point where one could hardly tell the difference between clone and ninja. She trapped him with one kunai at his throat, the other at his stomach, intending to use them only if he dared to move.

"Do it," Han ordered in a whisper. Sakura only stared into his eyes, imagining them the way they were – the way she had loved them. In the back of her mind she knew what she had to do – either forgive his soul for whatever was preventing him to rest peacefully or seal his form away.

She wanted to reach out for him, feel his body warmth against her skin. She wanted to let him embrace her with his strong arms and hold her till the end of time. The memories flooded her conscience like the water running down her jutsu. The need to punch something _very _hard or scream her heart out was so strong that she had started weighing out the damage she could do.

"Finish me, Sakura!" It wasn't a plea, it was a clear order. Han had noted her hesitance to kill him. Even though he would just reappear again, it still weakened him. As dependent as he was to Kabuto's chakra and mind, he didn't want to hurt her. It pained him to see the wounds he had been responsible for. "Do something before it's too late!" He noticed her resolve weakening the longer she was with him. "Sakura!"

She looked up at him and inhaled deeply. There was no time to dwell on nice memories, it was about damn time to snap out of the miserable state she had fallen into since Han had died.

The clone behind him vanished in a cloud of smoke and Sakura jumped a few steps away from him, her hands ready to form a jutsu. There was a small but very determined movement to her water wall. She knew very well who the invader was. The kunoichi growled under her breath and changed the seals to add lightning to her wall, securing her little world from any invasive attempt. Her water cage crackled with electricity, stopping Kabuto from digging deeper into it. Lightning had saved her life numerous times when he had attacked her.

Just as she had expected, Kabuto added more chakra into controlling Han, who now formed seals for a common Fire Style jutsu that was known to every Leaf ninja. It was no doubt targeted at her, but she was ready for it. She knew every jutsu in his arsenal so it was no trouble to counter it with a simple Water Style jutsu just before the fire ball reached her. She leaped on the electrified water wall, securing herself to it with chakra, the electricity tingling at her skin.

Three shuriken embedded themselves in the place where she had been just a second ago. The next time she landed on the ground, it crashed beneath her feet with a noise that equaled thunder.

Meanwhile, Deidara kept in mind the necessity of staying away from the water wall to prevent his bombs from turning into useless balls of clay. He cursed Sakura for making things a little harder, but he was up for the challenge and once again located the snake that was a disguised Kabuto and threw a kunai at him. It pinned the snake to the ground by its tail. It shed its skin and Kabuto darted out of it, hissing and his venomous teeth ready to bite into Deidara.

As he evaded it, he came dangerously close to Sakura's shield and nearly lost his footing when she crushed the ground in her own fight.

"Hey, cupcake!" Kisame shouted from behind.

Deidara glared at him as he landed on more secure ground.

Kisame only laughed at his attempt to glare daggers. "It's about damn time to end it, don't you think? Or do you want a real man to help you?"

"Fuck you, Kisame!" The bomber spat in disgust. Really, the shark sometimes disgusted him like Itachi's Sharingan. And he used to think that the Mist nin was much better than his companion.

"Killing Yakushi would end Sakura's fight too," Itachi joined them. "I suggest either you do it now or we do it."

Itachi had a point, Deidara admitted unwillingly. The jutsu controlling the other man would wear off once Kabuto was finished and it needed to be done before either of them got hurt. Not that he thought any of them could ever get hurt by the likes of Kabuto, but you could never be a hundred percent about the odds.

He sighed in annoyance. This happened every time the duo arrived to "help" him. They made him look like a genin – a complete idiot who couldn't even make his art properly. Stupid Sharingan and stupid Kisame.

"Oy! Earth to Princess! You hear us?" Kisame again invaded his inner musings.

"Tch," Deidara ignored them and dug his hands in the ever-present clay pouches and smirked as he thought of his next move.

Sakura breathed heavily. She had managed to trap Han into a genjutsu that gave her enough time to prepare for the sealing. Doing it had brought back memories of the war where she had done the same exact thing over and over again until it became mechanical. She performed the necessary signs for the seal Tsunade had taught her as part of her training. It was effective and fast, yet it required a lot of chakra. When Han was finally sealed, Sakura leaned against a large piece of earth that had sprung up from her destructive force. She fought for breath as the last remnants of Han dissolved into petals as her Petal Sealing Technique worked on its own.

She brushed a drop of sweat from her brow with the back of her gloved hand.

Her fight was over. And she wished from the very depths of her heart that something like this wouldn't ever happen again. It was way too painful to fight in a death match with the ones she had loved. She still loved them; death only took away their physical selves, their souls still remained with her. Yet with each vanishing petal that was a part of Han, Sakura felt freer. The weight was lifted from her heart and she found some peace from the whole thing. As ironic as it sounded, for once Kabuto's appearance calmed her mind and gave her an opportunity for a fresh start.

She dissolved the electrified water wall shielding her. Just as it vanished, she mustered up all her remaining strength to jump away from a bomb that was meant for Kabuto. Sakura had no idea that the other fight was happening right next to her.

"Get out of there, yeah!" Deidara yelled angrily through the noise. "Gonna get yourself killed if you're so careless!"

Sakura, having recently gotten back her will to live, had no desire to die from some random bomb. She leaped away to a safer place – near Itachi and Kisame.

"Hello there, Kitten," Kisame grinned his trademark grin.

"Hoshigaki-san, Uchina-san," she greeted them with a nod and resumed watching the fight.

Either he had hoped to get some spicy comeback from Sakura – or maybe he was just bored watching – Kisame groaned in frustration. "This is taking an eternity!"

Itachi glanced sideways at Kisame. "Deidara will probably murder you in your sleep if you interfere with his fight."

Kisame laughed and swung Samehada for a warm-up. "You and Kitten get going, we will join you few minutes later." He was off to thebattlefieldfaster than Sakura could believe.

In the blink of an eye Itachi was next to her. "For once we should follow my partner's advice." Amusement flickered in his eyes, as if he was enjoying his own joke. "They will follow us once they're finished."

Sakura looked straight into the Sharingan. "Follow us where?"

"Home," Itachi said and completed the seals for a Transportation jutsu.

_Home_, as Itachi had called it, was a large building in the middle of Tanigakure in Land of Rivers. Their way of getting there left her dizzy and she had to use her chakra to hep her body stabilize after such a drastic change of temperature and climate. It was a sunny day and she welcomed the warmth.

"Welcome to Tanigakure, Haruno-san," said Itachi as he walked over to a desk with neatly ordered stacks of papers and scrolls. He scanned through few of them and seemed to pay serious attention to them, so Sakura casually walked over to a window to make sure they really were in Tanigakure. She has been there a few times due some missions lead her team to this village. It had some ninja background, but it was too small to be called an actual shinobi village.

Sakura looked down from fifth floor to the villagers doing their errands, completely oblivious of her watching them. "Tanigakure, huh?" She mumbled, barely audibly. "What is this place anyway?" She asked a little louder. "This building, I mean."

"This has been our home since the war ended," Itachi answered.

The kunoichi frowned. "Isn't it a little too big for three men?" The adrenaline rush was finally over. She became aware that she was tired, dirty and hungry. She wanted Itachi to explain to her what was going on, because she had no clue what had happened since Kabuto showed up.

"A few hundred Tanigakure shinobi also reside here, Haruno-san," Itachi said patiently. "This is their home for the time of their serving me, their base, the place where they can get emergency medical treatment and they pick up their mission assignments here."

"Serve you?"

"Me, Tanigakure, Land of Rivers," he signed a paper and placed it on top of one stack.

Sakura snorted. "Are you a Kage?"

"I prefer the term _Leader_, Haruno-san," Itachi turned to her and leaned against the table. "And now we get to the point where I tell you why you are here."

* * *

><p>"I have to admit, we're in a funny situation," Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head.<p>

"That's an understatement," Ino picked up her tea cup. Kumori hummed in agreement. "Is there anything possible we can do?"

Shikamaru thought for a second. "I doubt that," he finally sighed. "My spies are reporting that they have lost all tracks of her in Kaede – a small town in Lightning. There was a fight in the outskirts of Kaede. Some reports even say that Uchiha and his Akatsuki partner also showed up."

"So the rumor is true? That the Akatsuki isn't dead?" Kumori asked.

"At least three of them," Shikamaru nodded. "But the most troublesome thing that they all report is that Sakura has been seen traveling together with an Akatsuki for the last week or so."

"What?" Ino almost choked in her tea. "Sakura is with an Akatsuki? Is she nuts? With whom?"

"Deidara."

For a moment Ino and Kumori just stared at Shikamaru, trying to believe his words. Kumori wasn't personally acquainted with Sakura, but he had heard about her enough to admire her as a fellow shinobi. He held a personal grudge against Deidara. Kumori was unpleasantly surprised that Deidara was alive and that Sakura was on friendly terms with the Akatsuki member. She was a dear friend to Ino and Shikamaru, so naturally he had some friendly feelings for her too, but this was testing all the limits. What if the Hokage was right? What if Sakura really was a traitor?

He sighed. "That could explain why we lost her that time near Kumo – Deidara usually flies on his clay birds."

"Right," Ino fell back on her chair and for a brief moment wished it was sake in her cup, not tea. "I don't understand. Why is Sakura doing this to us?"

Shikamaru poured himself more tea, then said, "She isn't the same as before, Ino. We all are not the same. Sakura just chose a different way of coping with shit. She is a lot like her teachers – she keeps all the pain in herself, hides it behind indifference, drowns it in unbelievable amounts of alcohol."

"And which one of her teachers had that habit of choosing an enemy as a travel buddy?" Kumori asked bitterly.

"Kakashi and Tsunade were great shinobi, but they weren't perfect and so is Sakura," Shikamaru smiled a bittersweet smile. "We have to look underneath the underneath. I'm sure Sakura knows what she is doing."

"It will turn into a man-hunt, Shikamaru," Ino groaned. "They won't rest until she gives in."

"It won't happen," Nara shook his head. "If we assume that she's with the Akatsuki, she will be safe from anything the Hokage throws her way. Besides, she has been perfectly capable of protecting herself this far. I don't see how she is in any danger now."

Ino still wasn't convinced that her friend was safe. It was so natural for her to look out for Sakura, just as she had done in their childhood. She felt that Sakura was so vulnerable, so fragile, despite her physical strength.

"Ino," Shikamaru said, "let's wait a little. Some reports say that the Akatsuki is up to something in the Land of Rivers. There has been a raise of security in Tanigakure, it's close to impossible for a foreigner to get inside. But if Sakura is with them, then she must be there."

"Does Konoha know about this?" Kumori asked.

Shikamaru smiled a knowing smile. "Konoha is a bit slow these days, just like its leaders. It will take them months to discover this, and by then – who knows what will happen?"

"So, we do nothing? We just let things happen on their own?"

"For now," Shikamaru shrugged. "If Itachi is really behind all of that, then all we can do is wait. He may have something interesting for us."

* * *

><p>"You want what?" Sakura found it hard to believe what Itachi was offering her.<p>

"I want you to help me build this village into a shinobi village," Itachi repeated.

"You want me to work for you?"

"I want you to work _with _me," he elaborated her. "You were a Hokage's apprentice. Truly, your knowledge must be enormous."

"Uchiha, if you have some stupid illusions that I will tell you all the dirty little secrets Konoha has, then you're awfully wrong," her infamous temper took over her and before she knew it, she was standing right in front of Itachi and pointing her index finger into his lean chest. "They already think of me as a traitor!"

A ghost of smile crossed his face. "I think you have it all mixed up, Haruno-san. I know all about what Konoha has to hide. What I want from you is that you join me, Kisame and Deidara into building the perfect shinobi village. You're the best healer alive, your contribution here would be invaluable, of course. But imagine how you could change the life of this village."

Sakura ran both hands through the mess that was her hair. This was too much for her to deal with now. Way too much. Build the perfect shinobi village, he had said. This was so typical Uchiha, Sakura thought. It must be in their blood – to rule over something.  
>She could feel his eyes on her as she tried to process everything that had happened to her in the last twenty-four hours. Itachi couldn't possibly hope that she would give her answer right this minute. She had to weigh all the consequences she would have to deal with, no matter what decision she would make. To accept his offer would mean cutting her ties with Konoha completely, but she would gain a new home. This promised no more running and hiding.<p>

But was she really ready for that?

Then it all dawned on her.

_"If someone offered you to become part of a different village, would you accept it?"_

"I didn't meet Deidara by accident, did I?"

"You were hard to find," Uchiha said. "It was sheer luck that Deidara decided to have a drink at that bar. Kakashi-san taught you well."

Sakura laughed. "Oh, God." She turned back to the window and shook her head. "This is just getting better and better."

At that moment a door opened, letting in an angry Deidara and an amused Kisame. Kisame patted Deidara's shoulder heavily in mock sympathy and laughed at all the dirty glares he got from the younger shinobi. Itachi looked over his shoulder at the duo.

"How did it go?" He asked. Sakura took a few steps in their direction and stopped right next to Itachi, eager to know how the fight ended.

"Tch," Deidara shot another angry glare at Kisame. "If this stupid idiot hadn't interfered, then I would have killed him, yeah. Instead that fucker shed his skin and got away."

"I see," Itachi said quietly as he watched Sakura hug herself to stop from trembling.

Who was she trying to fool? She had no hope that they would kill Kabuto in the first place. So why did she feel so miserable when she had expected it?

"And how'd it go with Kitten?" Kisame asked as he took off his cloak.

"She hasn't given her answer yet."

Sakura pretended not to hear them and ignored Deidara leaning on the wall next to her. "A tough decision, huh?" He asked with humor. She barely glanced at him. "Hey, it's not like you will lose anything, yeah."

"You don't get it, do you?" Sakura snapped at him. "Konoha has been everything for me! Everything! I just can't go and change sides!"

"It's not the question of changing sides, Sakura."

"Of what then?" She was close to tears when she turned to the new voice that had joined them. "What–" she whispered angrily. "Are you fucking kidding me?" She looked at the man in front of her, completely convinced that what she saw was an illusion, a genjutsu.

"Kai!" But the picture didn't change.

"Kai!" She tried more desperately. Uchiha, the master of illusions, was definitely behind this, Sakura realized. She was so tired of everything that she was losing the control of herself. She launched herself at Itachi.

But a pair of strong arms grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Sakura!" His voice, the familiarity of it, sent a painful pang through her heart. "Snap out of it!"

She just stared at the chest, tears flowing down her cheeks. "This can't be real –you can't be real–"

"Look at me."

Instead she shut her eyes tightly and sobbed. She shook her head in denial, gripping his shirt in her fists, trying to hold on to him for as long as possible, as if he would disappear any minute.

"Sakura! Look at me!" The man ordered softly. "It is me. I am real."

Sakura had to muster all the willpower she had to look at his face. The shaggy brown hair, eyes, the crinkles around his eyes... He even wore the same skin-tight undershirt with a turtle-neck that ended on his chin.

"I thought you were dead. We all thought you were dead – we couldn't find any traces of you!"

He chuckled a little and wiped away her tears. "I am alive, Sakura-chan."

The way he said her name prompted a new wave of tears and she crushed the man into a bear hug. "I missed you," she cried into his shirt. "I missed you so much, Yamato-taichou!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>I'm not going to even try to explain why this took so long. A lot of things happened.<strong>_

_**As always, a big thank you goes to A-chan for making this chapter look presentable and for reminding me to write it. And the next big thank you goes to all of you out there - for reading this and for waiting. Hopefully, you haven't forgotten about your favorite DeiSaku fic ;D**_

_**That's all for now, don't expect the next chapter soon.**_

_**Rosie-chan, out.**_


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